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COPYRIGHT DEPOSE 



THE 

IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



LIGHT THROWN ON DARK PLACES. 



BY 

JASPER NEWTON SMITH, 

MBTUCHEN, N. J. 



PUBLISHED BY 

J. NEWTON SMITH, 

METUCHEN, N. J. 



/0 6 



COPYRIGHT, 1914, 

BY 

JASPER NEWTON SMITH, 



SEP 2 I9I4 



'CI.A379615 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

PREFACE 17 

CHAPTER I. 

THE SALOON BUSINESS . . . 21 

Formula for Making Chicken Feed 22 

Formula for Making Beer. . . 22 

CHAPTER II. 

IN THE BEGINNING .... 25 

Terms of Partnership. . . . 26 
CHAPTER III. 

LIABILITY 29 

Governor Wilson on Liability. . .31 

Comments on the Foregoing. . . 32 

CHAPTER IV. 

NEW BRUNSWICK ORDINANCE, , , 33 

A Business Arrangement. . . 34 

How to Make Application. . . 35 

The Dive. . . . . . 37 

Care For Future Generations. 39 

Procedure In Cases of Violation. . 41 
Violations. ..... 43 



PAGE 



CHAPTER V. 




A CAT LICENSE, , 


. • 46 


CHAPTER VI. 




LOCAL EVENTS 


48 


The Application. 


SO 


Remonstrance. 


52 


As It Is In East Orange. 


59 


The Arbiter 


61 



CHAPTER VII. 

HOW TO START A SALOON, , , 67 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PARALLEL CASES , . 68 

CHAPTER IX. 

POST OFFICES AND SALOONS. , , 72 

Evils of Beer Peddling. . . 74 

CHAPTER X. 

DRUNKENNESS AND DISEASE 77 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE STATE VS. YOUTH, , 80 



PAGE 

CHAPTER XII. 

NEWSPAPER INFLUENCES, . 84 

"The Reason." .... 84 

The One Great Question. . . 88 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG. . . 89 

Is Beer a Temperance Agent? . 90 

A Cry For Help 92 

The President's Message. . . 93 

CHAPTER XIV. ' 

ANOTHER CONFERENCE, . . . 97 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE BREWERS' ARGUMENT, , , 101 

The Poor Man's Club. . . 102 

Human Want Supplied. . . 104 

Comments on the foregoing. . 105 

Public Sentiment. . . . 106 

Saloons Throw Men Out of Employment 116 

A Market for Grain. . . 120 

An Incident in the Life of Rev. Sawyer. 122 

Human Longing. . . 124 

CHAPTER XVI. 

HYPOCRISY OF PROHIBITION , , 129 



PAGE 



CHAPTER XVII. 



CLARENCE DARROW , 133 

Liberty vs. Prohibition. . . 137 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

WE DO NOT HAUL MEN INTO THE SALOON 137 

CHAPTER XIX. 

ALCOHOL A PRESERVER. . 142 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE LAW AS IT IS IN HOBOKEN, , , 144 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE CANTEEN, , , . 147 

The Parcel Post . .151 

CHAPTER XXII 

THE POLITICAL VINTAGE. ."".... 155 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY, 175 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE DOG. 184 



PAGE 

CHAPTER XXV. 

THE SABBATH AND MAN. , . 189 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

OUR REPUBLIC 193 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE EAST SIDE. , 201 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

A COMMUNITY, , 205 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

STUMBLING BLOCKS. . . 208 

CHAPTER XXX. 

THE LAW, . , 214 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

A RIGHT TO DO WRONG IS NOT A RIGHT. 219 



PREFACE. 



IN selecting our subject we place ourselves under 
great embarrassment. If we tell the truth, we are 
sure to give offense; and to withhold the truth would 
be to abandon the subject altogether. "This world 
is a stage and all men are actors;" 

It is our purpose to lift the curtain to show the 
actors on the stage. 

Insincerity, inconsistency and individual interest have 
totally hidden the actors on the stage and obscured 
the vision of all not behind the curtain. 

If the acts of a few men affect the welfare of man- 
kind in general, certainly one cannot be censured for 
truthfully revealing their acts: but the truth will give 
greater offense than misrepresentation. We console 
ourselves with the fact that if some are offended, it 
will be because of the truth. 

For generations, the subject has been presented from 
every view-point. The most eloquent men have shown 
the subject from the view-point of morals; but those 
who are engaged in the rum traffic are not susceptible 



18 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

to moral sentiment, and eloquence and argument 
have made no impression upon those who are respon- 
sible. The chemist has analyzed alcohol and shown to 
science that it is poisonous to the human system; and 
medical men have shown that alcohol produces more 
diseases, directly and indirectly, than any other cause. 

Abundance of proofs have been given that alcohol 
produces poverty and crime. Beer manufacturers and 
distillers have closed their eyes, their ears and their 
hearts to all proofs. 

The almighty dollar is held so close to their eyes 
that it shuts out the view of all else. 

Statistics have presented startling views of the 
magnitude of the evils that result from the traffic; 
but statistics are incomprehensible to most minds and 
have no part in matters of right and wrong, or in 
questions of morals. Large numbers are as incom- 
prehensible to the human mind as the extent of space. 

A billion of dollars is as incomprehensible as the 
distance to the stars. 

The habit of exaggeration has helped to impair our 
comprehension of numbers, We often say 'thousands' 
when we mean dozens. 

We can say nothing new on the subject of temper- 
ance; we can only present old truths in a new light, 
and show who are responsible for the saloons 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 19 

It makes no difference where we begin or which 
way we go to consider the subject, we arrive at the 
same conclusion. 

Writers and speakers have been very courteous to- 
wards their opponents, and have talked of "wrong," 
and have been so impersonal in their talks, that guilty 
ones could not take offense; but we have chosen to talk 
of "wrong-doers" and we have tried to be very personal. 

"Wrong" is an abstract noun when considered apart 
from any substance, we are after the substance; those 
who are responsible for the wrong. 

We illustrate principles by incidents and events, and 
we analyze events by principles; we use current events 
that are of recent date, and which come under our 
observation, or that come to us through the news of 
the day. If we write on current events, it will be 
necessary to give the names of the actors as well 
as the time and place, in order to vouch for the truth- 
fulness of the events, and we are conscious that we 
may appear very discourteous toward those whom we 
would prefer to honor, but are forced to offend. 

As we use events to illustrate principles, we must 
appear very rambling, even flitting from one thing to 
another without apparent connection; but it is the 
way we must pursue. 

We have, in some cases, used ridecule in speaking 



20 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

of persons but, as we have used ridicule only in speaks 
ing of persons who occupy high positions; who advance 
ideas so inconsistent with their high positions, that 
our ridicule may be considered a compliment, that we 
expected better things of them. 

Our aim has been to answer the arguments of the 
brewers and the distillers and the lawmakers, and all 
the advocate of the saloon, and to place the blame 
for the conditions, on the responsible parties. 

We have placed the lawmakers in the front rank 
and charged them with the responsibility. We have 
tried to show that the lawmakers are insincere, and 
guilty of duplicity; and that they work in the interests 
of the brewers, and against the interests of the citizens 
of the state in general. 

Hoping that we may help to open the eyes of the 
American people, that they may get a glance at the 
power behind the "system;" we submit this book for 
consideration, 

JASPER NEWTON SMITH, 

Metuchen, N. J. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 21 



CHAPTER I 



The Saloon Business. 

The sale of intoxicating drinks as a business, is the 
only business that is entirely devoted to supplying the 
stomach with poison, all other kinds of business, in 
one way or another, contribute to the welfare of man- 
kind. 

Farmers, butchers, mauufacturers and others sup- 
ply us with the necessities and the luxuries of life. 

Carriers, by land and sea, distribute articles of com- 
merce; and all of these different kinds of business are 
regulated by laws to safeguard the best interests of 
man. The laws require that all things sold for food 
shall be pure and healthful; and the water we drink 
shall be as pure and healthful as filtration and care- 
fully guarded watersheds can make it. 

Our milk must be unadulterated, and be produced 
under the most healthful conditions. 

Every thing we eat must be chemically pure. 

The laws require wholesome food for our domestic 
animals. 



22 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



Poisonous alcoholic drinks which are sold for the 
use of man are made by irresponsible, avaricious 
sellers and mixers. Why be so careful of the food 
we eat and what we feed our domestic animals, and 
so indifferent to the drink for human beings? 

Formula For Making Chicken Feed. 

Protein 10 per cent. 
Fat 3 per cent. 
Fiber 5 per rent. 
Ingredients: 
Cracked corn, wheat, clipped oats and buckwheat. 

Formula For Making Beer. 

Sulphite of lime as a cleanser: tartaric acid, salicylic 
acid, acrolic acid, karrummeda sulphite as preservatives: 
juniper berries as antidote for the salicylic acid: citric 
acid as a flavor: benzoic as a deodorizer: and tanic 
acid as a bleacher. 

The above formula for making beer was given by a 
brewer before the Philadelphia Commission. 

The brewer said that most of the beer made in the 
United State was made by this formula. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 23 

The stomach is the most important organ of the body. 
It is the depot of supplies and furnishes every part of 
the body with the necessary nourishment; and prepares 
the food for assimilation by the various organs of the 
body. The body requires healthful food, prepared and 
adapted to its requiements. If the food is not carefully 
selected and prepared, the body will not be properly 
nourished. Nothing should be taken into the stomach 
that injures the body; nothing should be put into the 
stomach that destroys the function of the stomach. 

It is strange that intelligent lawmakers should estab- 
lish saloons and license men to poison the stomachs of 
those who are too weak to resist 
No man has a constitutional right to sell, or, if one man 
has a right to sell, all men have the same right, for 
it is not according to American ideas of liberty and 
equal rights: that one man can buy constitutional rights 
that are denied to others. It is strange that the law- 
makers would go outside of the natural rights of man 
to make agents for brewers, and thereby bring a curse 
on mankind. 

The drunkard is the finished product of the saloon; 
but he is less harmful than the moderate drinker. 

It is the moderate drinker who introduces the young 
man to the social element of the bar-room and starts 
innocence on the downward path. 



24 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



The beginning of the drunkard's, course is usually 
when the youth is in his "teens"; for when one has 
reached manhood, and has not tasted alcoholic drinks, 
he is not very apt to begin, as his habits are formed, 
and his judgment teaches him to shun that which has 
ruined so many. 

The activity and impulsiveness of youth carries him 
fast and far when he has once left the path of total 
abstinence. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 25 



CHAPTER II 



In The Beginning 

Before the enactment of the laws that now obtain, 
for regulating the sale of intoxicating liquors, the 
brewers had gained a strong foot hold, and were so 
strong financially, and had become so deeply interested 
in the production and the consumption of beer, that 
it was a business necessity, for them to have agents for 
for the sale of their beer 

All business concerns find it necessary to use large 
sums of money to exploit their business and their 
goods. 

The brewers, being engaged in a business that netted 
a large profit on comparatively small outlay for labor 
and material, could well afford to use money to influ- 
ence legislation. The brewers had a great advantage 
over the temperance people, for, bv spending money, 
they could make money; while the temperance advocates 
had no money and no hopes of making money, even 
if they won. It was money againt philanthropy, and 
money won. 



26 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



In their attempt to regulate the sale of intoxicating 
liquors, the lawmakers had a serious problem to solve. 

They must safe-guard the interests of the brewers and 
deceive the people; but they succeeded in both. 

The title of the law, "to regulate the sale of intoxi- 
cating liquors", caused the unsophisticated people to 
think the regulation would either improve tne quality or 
reduce the quantity of the liquors sold. But the law did 
neither, the title meant, only, to regulate the manner and 
means of selling, by which the full out-put of the brew- 
ery would find its way to men's stomachs, and not miss 
a man; and with the least expense to the brewers. 

There has not been a single law made that prevents 
any man from drinking all he wants; and there has 
no law been made that prevents the saloonist adulterat- 
ing liquors as much as he pleases. 

There are men who make it a business of selling 
recipes to saloonists, to make of one quart of liquor, 
two or more quarts, by adulteration. 

Terms of Partnership. 

It was expensive for the brewers to peddle their beer 
from house to house, and, distributing agents were 
a business necessity; and the brewers, not having the 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 27 

right to establish agencies, entered into tacit partner- 
ship with the lawmakers on terms as follows: The 
lawmakers were to make such laws as were neces- 
sary for the best interests of the brewers and to ap- 
point a general agent, with the title of Judge whose duty 
should be to appoint sub-agents in every locality where 
an agent could prosper; and to ''foster and encourage 
the beer industry". And in consideration of these terms 
on the part of the lawmakers, the brewers were to sup- 
port the lawmakers politically; to allow 7 the state from 
five hundred to one thousand dollars per agent. 

The terms of this partnership, briefly expessed, are, 
the two parties were to help each other and share the 
profits; and both parties have adhered to the terms. 

After the contract was made, the state found tiiere 
was none who had a right to sell but it selected some 
men who had no right, and breathed the breath of 
license into them and they became living saioonists. 
Before this miracle, it was wrong to sell poison 
to a fellow man, but after the miracle, it was right. 

It was wrong beause of the evils that result from 
the use of alcoholic drink, but the license, they thought, 
would remove the evil. I never knew or heard 
that the sale of liquor would do harm, unless some one 
drank it. If a poisonous serpent had a license to 
sting, w r ould its sting be less fatal? 



28 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

By this act of the lawmakers they assumed all the 
responsibility, and saloonists are free from all blame. 

The lawmakers, not only establish saloons, knowing 
that they cause crime, but they take money for it, and 
taking money for protecting crime, or any kind of evil, 
is graft. If an individual, could and would establish 
and maintain a system of the exact nature of the sa- 
loon, he would be considered too dangerous to be at lib- 
erty. The lawmakers have been engaged so long in 
this partnership business that they do not blush when 
they look an innocent man in the face. 

The license fee is not the same in all places; it de- 
pends upon the number of drinkers, and the strength 
of their appetites and weakness of their wills. 

The misfortunes of the drinkers are the state's as- 
sets which it sells to brewers for money. 

The saloonist does the dirty work; the state fur- 
nishes the franchise and protection; and the brewers 
furnish the beer. The state takes its share in advance 
and the saloonist has to hustle to make his living. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 29 



CHAPTER III 



Liability. 

The principle upon which the laws of liability are 
based, is that he who is responsible for conditions, 
is liable for any injury that may come to another be- 
cause of faulty conditions. 

Ignorance of the existence of defective conditions is 
no excuse, provided the defects might have been known 
by careful inspection before the injury was done. 

It is not enough that the person having charge 
of conditions to say that he did not know that bad con- 
ditions did exist, but he must be able to say that he 
knew that they did not exist. 

All cases of liability brought against employers by 
employees, are decided according to this principle. 

To illustrate: if one willfully obstructs the sidewalk, 
thereby causing injury to another, he is liable because 
of his acts; and he who having permission of the proper 
authorty, to excavate the street, and leaves it in a 
dangerous condition, causing one to get injured, is liable 
for neglect. 



30 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

This principle is applied in cases of moral liability 
as well as in cases of personal injury. 
To illustrate: He who corrupts a child either by word 
or deed, or leads another into forbidden paths, is mor- 
ally guilty, and should he responsible. 

The same principle applies when one permits another 
to be injured when it is in his power to prevent the 
injury. To illustrate: If a man sees a child walking close 
to a precipice, and knowing the danger the child is in; 
and the child's lack of judgment; refuses or neglects to 
save the child, and in consequence, the child falls to 
its death; that man is morally, if not legally responsible. 

If a man should induce or persuade, or in any way 
entice a youth into a saloon where he would be 
exposed to temptation, and made acquainted with the 
saloon element; and because of this introduction, and 
inducement, the youth should become a drinker, and 
develope into a confirmed drunkard; that man who 
induced the youth, is responsible, and will be accounta- 
ble in the day of Judgment. And he who invites 
one who is already a drunkard, to drink, helps to in- 
crease the drunkard's desire, and lessen his chances of 
reformation. It is easier for a man to deceive himself, 
than to deceive another. In a manner, we are all 
our brother's keeper. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 31 

In the same line of reasoning, he who enacts laws 
creating saloons, thereby causing injury and death, is 
morally liable and should be held responsible for his act. 

And he who refuses to use his influence, and to cast 
his vote to save the thousands of young men who are 
tottering on the brink of the precipice, are responsi- 
ble for their neglect. 

Governor Wilson on Liability. 

Woodrow Wilson, Governor ot New Jersey, in his 
speach before the legislature, on the subject of Corpo- 
rations, said: "If I may speak plainly, we are much to;> 
free with grants of charters to corporations in New 
Jersey. A corporation exists, not by natural right, but 
by license of law, and the law, if we look at the 
matter in good conscience, YOU ARE RESPONSI- 
BLE FOR WHAT IT CREATES. It can never rightly 
authorize any kind of fraud or imposition. It cannot, 
righteously allow the setting up of a business which 
has no sound basis, or which outrages justice or fair 
dealing or the principle of honest industry. The law 
cannot give its sanction to anything of like kind; it 
thereby sanctions what it ought to abolish." 



32 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

Comments On The Foregoing. 

The Governor was, no doubt, looking at the matter 
in good conscience, and the principle that the lawmak- 
ers are responsible for all the evils resulting from 
the laws they make, applies with equal force, to the 
saloons that do not exist by natural right, but were 
created by the lawmakers for which the lawmakers are 
responsible. 

It is our aim to show who are to blame for the 
evils and who are responsible. We nave called upon 
Governor Wilson who says that the lawmakers are to 
blame, not only for establishing, but for not abolishing 
them. 

We are glad that Govenor Wilson has so plainly 
expressed the principle of liability, and we are sure 
he was sincere and correct, but he was speaking to the 
lawmakers in reference to corporations, and did not 
have the remotest thought of the saloon system. 

In justice to our subject and to our readers, we will 
be obliged to refer to Mr. Wilson elsewhere, in re- 
lation to principles laid down by him, on other subjects 
and for other purposes. We shall be obliged to refer 
to him as Governor, as politician and candidate for the 
presidency. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 33 



CHAPTER IV 



New Brunswick Ordinance, 

A sample ordinance establishing saloons, is found in 
an ordinance "To provide for the license and regula- 
tion of the sale of intoxicating liquors in the City of 
New Brunswick, N, J., and prescribing the form of 
application to be used; and to fix the amount of fees 
to be paid for the various licenses that may be used, 
&c," 

It is not our intention to analyze all of the sections, 
but to call attention to some of the twenty-two sections, 
which give an idea of what wise men can do in the 
way of regulating the sale of liquors. 

There is not a word in the ordinance that suggests 
a thought of reducing the quantity or improving the 
quality of the liquors sold. The title of the ordinance 
should read " to establish saloons", instead of "to reg- 
ulate the sale." 

The provisions of this ordinance are not contrary to 
the laws of the state, and may be said to cover the 
whole license system, so far as establishing saloons 
and regulating the sale of liquors are concerned. 



34 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

The word Intoxicate is from the root word toxicum, 
a poison used by barbarians to poison their arrow tips. 

The title of the ordinance means to regulate the sale 
of poisonous drinks. 

A Business Arrangement 

A person starting out in a mercantile business 
would arrange its several departments in such a way 
that the several departments would be in harmony 
with each other, and so that customers could easily 
procure whatever they wanted, with as little trouble 
as possible. The customer that wanted a small quan- 
tity of goods would be directed to the retail counter; or 
if he wanted a larger quantity, the customer would be 
directed to the wholesale department. 

The New Brunswick ordinance provides for the 
wholesale and the retail of liquors, but not in the same 
building. If a customer wants less than a quart, he 
must walk on the South side of the street; but if he 
wants more than a quart, he must walk on the North 
side. This puts the drinker to a considerable inconven- 
ience; but it is a wonderful regulation. If the two de- 
departments were under the same roof, it would be 
more convenient. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 35 

It makes a great difference in the effects of intoxi- 
cating drinks, on a man's stomach whether he drinks 
facing the North or the South. 

There is no regulation of the quality. That would 
offend the brewers and distillers. 

The ordinance makes no mention of Sunday; and no 
action could be taken against the the sale of liquor 
on Sunday, under the terms of the ordinance. 

How to Make Application. 

The ordinancs thoughtfully instructs applicants how to 
procure license, and the manner of making application. 

The Council makes it plain and easy for the applicant. 

The appplicant must present his application with his 
own signature, and the signature of twelve freeholders. 

And attached to the application and forming a part 
of it, shall be the oath of the applicant, that the sign- 
ers of the application are all freeholders, and citizens 
of the United States, and that they have not signed 
any other application within one year. 

The applicant does all the swearing required, although 
he is not qualified to swear what these men have or 
have not done. The applicant's oath gives no strength 
to the application. What the applicant is, is of more 
importance than what the signers are. 



36 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

There is not a Judge in New Jersev, who would, 
under any other circumstances, allow any one man who 
really knows nothing whatever, of their qualifications 
to swear for twelve men. How can a just Judge step 
so far from his ordinary procedure, to allow one man 
to qualify for twelve men? 

The applicant selects his own men, and swears for them; 
and the judge allows the applicant an advocate; and 
upon the judgment of the advocate, and the oath of the 
applicant, the judge grants the license. Who is the 
real judge in the matter? 

The ordinance forbids a saloonist to sell between the 
hours of twelve midnight, and five o'clock A. M., and 
the violator is subject to a fine of twenty-five dollars. 

Another section forbids all persons not licensed, to 
sell at any time, under a fine of one hundred dollars. 

Is it a greater sin for a non-licensed man to sell at 
any time than for a licensed man to sell at a time he 
is expressly forbidden to sell, by the terms of his 
license? 

The saloonist is a non-licensed man at such times 
he is forbidden to sell; and in consideration of his 
license to sell twenty-one of the twenty-four hours, his 
fine for violation, should be greater than for the viola- 
tion by an unlicened man. A specified light fine in 
advance of violation, is an inducement to violate. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 37 

Why is there a difference in the fines for the same 
offense? Here are two reasons. It was unnecessary 
for the city to forbid the unlicensed man to sell for 
the state law forbids it; but by making this offense a 
part of the ordinance, the fines for the violations 
would go into the city treasury and the greater the 
fine the better for the treasury. 

Another reason for the difference of fines in favor 
of the saloonist, is that, the unlicensed man who violates 
the law, is guiltv of two offenses in one act. 
He violates the law; and he infringes upon the saloonist, 
who has purchased protection and the City is bound to 
"warrant and defend againt all unlawful claims", as the 
deeds say. And still another reason; the brewers will 
not stand for high fines for the saloonist 

The Dive. 

The saloonist is forbidden to employ any female to vend, 
sell, &c. or for the purpose of attracting persons to 
such place, or as women conversationalist; or permit the 
assembling of females for the purpose of enticing 
customers, or making assignations for improper purposes. 
Did the Council think that the "Appointees of the 
Court" need such restraint? 



38 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

The foregoing is correctly quoted from the ordinance, 
and it shows how intimately the saloon is connected 
with social vice. What a comment on the character of 
the saloon established by this ordinance for the 
good of New Brunswick! Is there any other institu- 
tion in New Brunswick from which females are 
excluded? These wise city fathers know very well the 
class of people who frequent the saloon and they also 
know what effect alcoholic drinks has on the passions of 
men and women, and that the saloon degrades all who 
come in contact with it. 

The ordinance plainly specifies the purposes for which 
females shall not be employed; but there is nothing to 
prevent females from entering a saloon to buy beer, 
and when there she may remain as long as she will 
and for any purpose she please; but the saloonist 
must not employ her for the purposes forbidden. 

This is a great advantage to the saloonist, as he 
may have females present without the expense of 
employing her. The Mayor and Council have how- 
ever, acknowledged the close relation of the saloon and 
vice, and made an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate 
the evil. If the ordinance had forbidden saloonists to 
permit females to enter the saloon for any purpose, 
it would have shown sincerity of purpose. 
All evils are in the saloon, and in the saloon may be 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 39 

be found the greatest cause of the social evil. 

When a saloon becomes a 'dive 4 it is only an erup- 
tion on the outside and shows what is within the sys- 
tem. 

Care for Future Generations. 



The ordinance says "until the population shall reach 
thirty-five thousands, there shall be no more than 
eighty-two saloons." According to this allowance, there 
will be one saloon to every four hundred and twenty- 
seven persons. If one half of this number are children, 
and one half of the adults are women, and one half 
of the male adults are non-drinkers; there will be one 
saloon to fifty-three drinkers 

This is very liberal of our city fathers to provide 
so bountifully and so far in the future. 
At the past rate of increase, it will be a long time be- 
fore the city will reach thirty-five thousands, and it 
is evident that the present rising generation must 
be the victims of the saloons at that time. 

This ordinance shows that the City of New Brunswick 
intends to perpetuate the saloon, and consign little 
babes, now in mothers' arms, to the brewers' greed. 



40 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 

I once knew a farmer who made it a practice of 
raising and selling a five-year old colt each year. To 
do this it was necessary for him to have five colts in 
line all the time: one, four years old; one, three years 
old; one, two years old; one, one year old, and a 
new-born colt. 

It is estimated that one of every five male child- 
ren becomes a drunkard. Allowing the life of the 
drunkard to be forty years, if one drops out at the age 
of forty, there must be thirty-nine persons in line all 
the time to keep the line full; and when number forty 
drops out, all move up one place and a new-born babe 
takes its place in line as number one. 

Statistics show that over one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand drunkards die each year. To keep this line full 
there must be over six millions in line all headed for 
the drunkard's grave. But, the Government needs tne 
revenue, the law T makers need the brewers' support and 
the brewers need the money; so why hesitate to sac- 
rifice the lives and souls of six millions? 

And why should we give a single thought to the 
misery and suffering caused by the saloons, so long as 
the lawmakers and the brewers and the Government 
profit by the traffic? The Government makes revenue, 
the lawmaker get politcal support, and the brew T ers 
and saloonists make money out of the traffic and the 
victims get nothng but evil. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 41 



Procedure In Cases of Violation. 

Once more referring to sections fourteen and nine- 
teen, of the the New Brunswick ordinance, we find that 
section fourteen, reads as follows: "all complainst for 
the violation of the provisions of this ordinance shall 
be made before the Recorder of the city, and the pen* 
alty arising under the ordinance MAY be recovered 
before such Recorder, in the manner provided by law, 
and the fines, WHEN COLLECTED, shall be paid into 
the city treasury." 

This section and the procedure relate to licensed 
men. 

Section nineteen relates to non-licenssd men and reads 
as follows: Any person violating any provision of this 
law,SHALL BE DEEMED guilty of MISDEMEANOR, 
and shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars, 
or LMPRISONMENT for a term of three months. 

The choice of words and the difference in the terms 
of punishment in these two sections, show a decided 
partiality in favor of the licensed man. 

To the licensed man it speaks kindly, and says: watch 
out, boys; for if some one whose duty it is not, com- 
plains of you, you MAY be fined twenty-five dollars. 

To the non-licensed man: it says you shall be fined one 
hundred dollars, or be imprisoned for three months. 



42 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



This detection of the violation of the law by the 
saloonist; is left to volunteers who dare not be so rash 
as to make complaint; but every officer in the city is on 
the look-out for violations by persons who have no li- 
cense. 

To show r the insincerity of the lawmaker of their in- 
tention to punish saloon keepers for violation of the law, 
we quote from a correspondent to the New Brunswick 
Daily Home News: Dear Editor; Will you kindly publish 
this item in your valuable paper? Why is it that a 
certain saloon-keeper in the sixth ward, not far from 
No. 6 engine house is allowed to keep his place open 
from six A. M. until three o'clock the following morn- 
ing; closing for about three hours of the twenty-four? 

And even then, those that are inside do not have to 
leave, but are allowed to sleep in a department over 
the saloon, kept for those who would rather sleep there 
than to lose time by walking home. A person can go 
there Sundays and be accommodated, the same as on 
week days, during the day or night. Something should 
be done to stop this kind of business. Of course, the 
sixth ward politicians do not like to interfere, as it 
might make it bad for them. Young men and marri- 
ed men with families, spend their time here. 

Signed: 

A Reader of The Home News. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 43 



Here is a brave correspondent, in a public manner 
points out the saloon that is daily violating the law, and 
the DAILY HOME NEWS dutifully finds space in its 
valuable columns to publish the same; and the Mayor 
and Council are waiting for some volunteer to make 
complaint. No one having authority will make a 
complaint and the police officers dare not; and the 
politicians will not; and tb2 saloon continues to \blate 
the law. "Watch out, boys, or you MAY be fined". 

The saloonists know what the laws mean, and they 
have as much contempt for the laws as they have for 
lawmakers who enact them. All honor to those who 
make laws that they dare not enforce. 

Light fines and the uncertainty of any fine for the 
violation of the law by the saloonist; and the heavy 
fines and the certainty of punishment for the violation 
of the law by a non-licensed man; all work in the inter- 
est of the brewers 

Violations. 

Before closing this subject we wish to call attention 
to a section of the ordinance which is violated every 
day. This section says that any person not holding a 
license, who shall, by himself or his agent, at any time, 
sell, furnish, supply, or offer &c, shall be fined &c. 



44 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



"A" goes into a saloon and finds "B" with no money. 
"A" orders drinks for two, and gives one glass to "B"; 
and "A" has furnished and supplied "B", and has vio- 
lated the law. The bartender had no part in the trans- 
action except to supply "A." 

Again: if "C" and "D" go into a saloon, "C" treats 
"D", he has violated the law in supplying liquors, not 
having a license. "C" may claim that if *'D" treats in 
turn, as in courtesy, he is bound to do, it is the same as if 
each paid for his own drink; but in that case, both 
would be guilty, for each one would pay for the drink 
that he received of the other; and if one paid the other, 
he paid for what he bought; and if one bought, the 
other sold. 

The one who treats the other might claim that he 
only ordered the drinks and paid for them, and the 
bartender handed the glass to the other. Still, he who 
ordered the drinks would be guilty, for he has suppli- 
ed through his agent, the bartender, which is forbidden. 

Let us see what the bartender says on this point. 
John Doe leads a little boy into a saloon and orders two 
glasses of beer, one of which he gives to the boy. An 
officer comes in and arrests the bartender for selling to 
a minor. The bartender defends himself by proving 
that he sold two glasses to the man, and the man gave 
one glass to the boy. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 45 

So far as buying and supplying is concerned, it is 
the same with the boy as with the man. 

It is plainly seen that "treating'* is a violation of law, 

We dp not wish to be understood that the ordi- 
nance of New Brunswick is worse than that of other 
cities; but we are considering the subject of liquor sell- 
ing and the laws which regulate their sale, and are 
illustrating by events, with which we are familiar. 

If our readers will substitute the name of their own 
town or city for "'New Brunswick" they will find that 
what we have said of this city, will apply to their own 
town, for the brewers are in command everywhere. 



46 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



CHAPTER V 



A Cat License 

A writer in an article printed in a New York paper 
a few days ago, suggested that there should be a law 
that no one should keep a cat without paying license fee, 
giving as a reason for such a law, that cats endanger 
the health and comfort of people, and that their bite is 
sometimes fatal. 

The principle of taxing the owners of cats and dogs 
is not a new idea, but it has been applied to dogs only. 

The object of the proposed tax on cats, is to decrease 
the number of cats to threaten the health and life of 
people; and very many persons who now keep two or 
more, cats, would not keep any if they were obliged to 
pay a license fee. No doubt that such a law, if strictly 
enforced, would reduce the number of cats, but if un- 
enforced the law would do no good. The bite of a 
licensed cat would be as fatal as the bite of an unlicensed 
cat; and the effects of the law would be in proportion 
to the number of cats, the less the number of cats 
the less the number of bites. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 47 



A law of this kind would, like many others, favor 
the rich, who could indulge in the luxuries of cats, 
while the poor man who is unable to pay the license 
fee, must be deprived of his pets, and take the chances 
of being bitten by the licensed cats of the rich man. 

It is true that there are cats, and if it be true that 
cats endanger the health and life of people, then no 
one should keep a cat by special license. 

The logic of a cat license, expressed plainly is as 
follows: Mr. Cat, your habits and your quarrelsome 
disposition and uumusical voice are injurious to human 
beings, and destructive to comfort, and your bite is 
sometimes fatal; but, for a small fee, for the privilege, 
you may indulge in anything natural to cats, and this 
license shall be your justification. 

I am aware that the foregoing is nonsensical, but 
we give the honor of originality to the lawmakers who 
license saloons that destroy all who come in contact with 
them. 



48 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT, 
CHAPTER VI 



Local Events 



In the case of D, C. Whalen's application, that 
we have elsewhere referred to, the Judge ignored the 
eighty-one remonstrants against granting the license. 

We read in The Daily Home News of Dec. 20, 1912, 
that the Judge granted a license to Thomas P. Doyle 
because the application was signed by a majority of the 
township committee of Pisataway, and other prominent 
residents. The prominent residents had great weight 
in this case, it was for a license, but when they are a- 
gainst a license, it is quite a diferent matter. 

Another news item in the same paper says that 
Thomas H. Haggerty presented the application. 

In our opinion, the Judge has no right to allow 
an advocate for the applicant, as he is not on trial 
for crime, and has no rights to defend, but is simply 
asking for privileges, and the only function of the advo- 
cate, is to influence the Judge, and he ought not to 
allow himself to be influenced at the expense of his judg- 
ment. In this case the Judge listened to the advocacy 
of Mr. Haggerty and granted a license, for the reason 
that it "appeared to be a public necessity." 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 49 

Notice the truth of what we have said, that the judge 
and the township committee pull together and all pull 
with the brewers. We also find on the same day, a \h 
cense was granted to Daniel Mc Donald at Port Read* 
ing, in the township of Woodbridge. 

The news item says that here-to-foj-e Judge Daily had 
refused to grant any more lioensee in the the township 
of Woodbridge; but when lawyer Coari, as advocate, 
argued that, granting a license in the place of the one 
saloon that had been closed up by the prosecutor, 
would not really be an increase. The judge said that he 
had received a petition numerously signed and among the 
petitioners, was a majority of the township cnmmittee. 

Here we have the judge, the petitioners, the applicant, 
the advocate and the township committee as usual. 

The Judge had decided that no more licenses should 
be granted in this township; the advocate convinced 
him that if one be taken from a given number and then 
one be added, the result will be the original number. 
In these two cases, the principal elements were the 
advocate and the township committee. 

So we see the brewers have both ends of the line, 
from the lawmakers down to the township committee; 
and an advocate to dictate to the Judge what he ought 
to know, himself, The applicant knows the advantage 
of an advocate or he would not hire him. 



50 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT, 



j; The Application 

The law requires. signers £o an application, all of whom 
must be freeholders, tliey need not be intelligent, but 
must be freeholders, to vouch for the character of the 
applicant and for the necessity for a saloon to promote 
the best interests of the -community, financially and mor- 
ally: none but a freeholder is qualified to judge in this 
matter. These are the ostensible reasons for having 
the signers; the true reason is to justify the conscience 
of the lawmakers who do not know whether a saloon 
is a go:>d institution or not; and to satisfy the judge who 
licenses, that it is a public necessity. It would be better 
to ask such men as Charles W* Eliot, president emeritus 
of Harvard, who says "alcoholism of the white race 
must be overcome, or that vice will overcome the race." 

The lawmakers, in their profound wisdom, think it 
better to ask a man who owns an acre of salt meadow. 

We have in mind a case where a judge in Middlesex 
County, N. J. refused a license to a party in Jamesburg, 
and the next day granted one to a party in Roosevelt. 

Both of these parties had the required number of sign- 
ers to the application, and, that the Judge granted one 
and refused the other shows that the Judge has the 
right to refuse. The reason given for refusing the one, 
was, "it would cause cut-throat competition" 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 51 



which means that it would not be good for the saloons 
already there, This is in accordance with the original 
contract to "foster and encourage the beer business," 
and to 'warrant and defend against all unlawful claims," 
as the deeds say. 

The judge's action in these two cases shows what 
we have tried to establish: that the Jadge has the 
right to grant or to refuse to grant licenses; and that he 
looks after the welfare of saloonists; and that the required 
signers to an application is a farce, and does not in 
any way affect the number of licenses granted. 

If the lawmakers were sincere in their efforts to reg- 
ulate the sale of alcoholic drinks, they would require 
that an application for a license should be signed by a 
majority of the persons interested, to express their o- 
pinion in regard to th^ desirability o c a saloon; or, if 
being a freeholder is qualification, all freeholders should 
be required to express their opinion, and show to what 
extent they are freeholders. But, in a matter of right 
and wrong, money or land or any other kind of prop- 
erty qualification ought not to decide. , 

If the signers, as the law now is, are supposed, in any 
way, to vouch for the good character of the applicant, 
the signers themselves, should have good characters. 
And certainly no one who has the habit of drinking 
should be qualified to sign an applicaton for liecnse. 



52 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



Remonstrance 

The law provides that any person or a number of 
persons have the right to remonstrate against the grant- 
ing of a license; and the people are made to believe 
that their remonstrance will receive respectful consid- 
eration when presented to the Judge, This remon- 
strance feature of the law is a farce, for, neither the 
number nor the character of the remonstrants, are tak- 
en into consideration by the Judge, and he will po- 
litely inform the remonstrants that he has no discre- 
tionary power, yet he sometimes refuses to grant a li 
•ceims&s, as m the ease of Jamesfoorg* where it w&§ 
necessary to refuse one, to protect the other against 
* 4 cut-throat competition." 

Insincerity and indifference manifested in the laws 
are in like manner, manifested in the execution of the 
laws. 

We have always regarded a judge as a person, learned 
in the law, and of good judgment, whom the law pro- 
vides to decide all questions of law and equity, according 
to his best judgment, and in accordance with the Con- 
stitution which grants equal rights to all individuals. 

We should be sorry to be obliged to form our opin- 
ion of a Judge by his procedure in considering licenses. 

No doubt he does violence to his own feelings and 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT S3 



his judgment in his efforts to act in accordance with 
what is expected of him by the lawmakers and brewers. 

It is generally supposed that, if the judge is in doubt 
on any question of law or fact, he will make use of 
the best means at his command to inform himself, but 
this is overlooked in granting licenses. 

This important matter of the necessity of saloons is 
left to the saloonist and a few of his patrons. This is 
shameful, the people should be ashamed to submit to it. 

The laws may as well leave the question of maintain- 
ing dives, to the dive-keeper and a very few of his 



The pdge kmiow& tihtauc there sever mm a saioon m, 
earth that was a benefit to any community; and he knows 
there never was a man who was benefited by becoming 
a drunkard. He also knows that there never was a 
father glad to have his son patronize the saloon, or 
that his son was forming drinking habits. We can not 
expect the judge who grants licenses, to confess that 
a saloon is a thing of evil, for he would thereby, con- 
fess his guilt in licensing a thing of evil. And if he 
knows that the saloon is an evil, and licenses it, how 
can we have implicit confidence in his fairness as a just 
judge; or, if he does not know that the saloon is 
an evil, how can we have perfect confidence in his 
judgment on other matters of right and wrong? 



54 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



The state should furnish the Judge with some statis- 
tics to guide him in determining when and where and 
in what way a saloon is a benefit to a community, so 
that he need not depend upon the judgment of men who 
favor and patronize the saloon. But the Judge might 
with a very little trouble, inform himself if he felt so 
inclined. If he should act according to the dictates of 
his own heart and his own judgment, he would dis- 
please the brewers, and they would stir up the poli- 
ticians and lawmakers, and they in turn would make it 
uncomfortable for the judge. The only thing for him 
to do is to exercise his functions according to the spirit 
and the intent of the law and place the blame on the 
law r makers, as we do. 

We venture to say that if the lawmakers, when mak- 
ing laws relating to the saloon business, were sincere, 
and the executive officers, chief and subordinate, were 
sincere in enforcing them, and leave the Judge to act 
according to his own good judgment, there would be no 
cause to complain. If, for any reason, the judge is by 
his understanding of what is expected of him; or if his 
procedure is in any way deflected from his own sense 
of right: or if the laws are so loose that they require 
a loose application, then the lawmakers are to blame, 
and the Judge deserves sympathy, and the lawmakers 
deserve censure. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 55 



The Judge, left to himself, would act upon an appli- 
cation for a license in the same manner as he would 
act in a trial case, where his decision depended upon 
the evidence that might be presented; and that which 
he accepted as evidence on one side would be accepted 
on the other, and the decision rendered according to 
the weight of evidence. And if certain qualifications 
of witnesses entitled one to testify, the same qualifica- 
tions should entitle others to testify. 

If importance is given the applicant's signers, because 
of their being freeholders, the same importance should 
be given to remonstrants. 

In the Metuchen Recorder of December 18, 1903, 
we find the following: "In September the app'ication of 
D. C. Whalen had an insufficient number of signers 
qualified, and judge Lyon permitted him to withdraw it 
until the December term of court, and on Tuesday he 
filed it again with other names, when there was a re- 
monstrance against granting it signed by a large num- 
ber of our citizens." In the three moiths bat ween the 
first and second efforts, Whalen secured thirty-one sign- 
ers, which included his father and brother, and five 
person not living in the Borough. There were eighty 
remonstrants, all of good character, and of all occupa- 
tions, and all freeholders with a combined property valua- 
tion thirty time that of the signers of the application. 



56 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



It is needless to say that Whalen got his license. 
The thirty signers outweighed the eighty remonstrants. 
This is a shameful farce and an insult to the remon- 
strants. In connection with this, iet us give some of 
the fruits of the four saloons iji Metuchen, one of which 
is Whalen's above referred to. 

In the last few years TWENTY-FOUR deaths caused 
directly by the four saloons; and most of these victims, 
young men. Metuchen's population is less than three 
thousand. At the present time we have two young men 
in the asylum, hopelessly insane; one in prison at Tren-ton 
sentenced to electrocution for the murder of a minister 
of the Gospel. A short time ago two others died of 
insanity. Others have been killed by accident, and still 
others who have died suddenly from excessive drinking. 
r i hese are some of the fruits oi the saloons of Me- 
t.ichen that were established for the good of the Boro- 
ugh. 

As the Judge stands at the point in the license sys- 
tem where the lawmakers left off, leaving him with so 
much discretionary power, we are compelled ta give to 
him more attention than we otherwise would. It is at 
this point that the destructive work begins and agents 
are appointed to do the work. The Judge's responsibility 
is in proportion to his discretionary power and he is 
responsible for the evils tb,at he might prevent 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 57 



If the judge was anxious to know for a certain- 
ty whether a saloon would be beneficial to a community, 
or not, he should ask the applicant, and each of his 
signers, a few questions like the following: 

Did you sign this petitition? 

Do you think a saloon would benefit your town? 

If so, in what way? 

Do you think a saloon would benefit you? 

In what way would it benefit you? 

Would you wish your son to patronize it? 

Name one who has been benefited by it. 

Will a saloon add value to your property? 

Do you know any one who has been harmed by 

the saloon? 

Are you a patron of the saloon? 

Are you related the applicant? 

How are you related? 
If the judge would ask questions like these and 
insist upon answers, prompt and full, signers would ask 
to have their names, taken from the list; or if he would 
ask himself such questions, and answer them, he 
would grant no license. The only questions that 
have been asked, and the only matters that have been 
considered are, how many are there now, and can 
another one be made to pay? If the way is clear, 
there seem to be a public necessity for a saloon. 



58 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 



There came under my observation a case where an 
injured man sued his employer for damages, claiming 
that the the concrete foundation of the machine upon 
which he worked, was too light for the weight of the 
machine; and this defect caused much vibration, and 
in consequence of the vibration he was injured. 

A common laborer was called upon to testify as to 
the sufficiency of the foundation. The defence objected 
to the witness, as not being a mason or a machinist, 
and not knowing the w r eight of either the foundation 
or the machine, he was not qualified as an expert. 
The witness was not allowed to testify. 

But, in the matter of licenses, it is quite different. 

If the Judge is not influenced by the signers, there 
is no need of them; but if he is influenced by them 
his decision is based on opinion and not on fact; as 
the signers are not experts. We venture to say that 
if his decision was subject to an appeal to a Higher 
Court, where the character of witnesses is taken into 
account and testimony is weighed in the scales of Just- 
ice, he would not, in a case of such importance between 
a community and a saloonist, submit the matter to a 
jury selected by the saloonist. The community stands 
no chance, especially when the County Prosecutor ad- 
vocates the applicant's cause, as is sometimes the case. 

A remonstrance, if very large, is of no account. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 59 

for the question is between the brewers, and a larger 
number of the people, and the brewers must not be 
beaten by a large number of the people. 

The brewers are back of all the saloons and the re- 
fusal to grant a license, hurts the brewer more than it 
hurts the would-be-saloonist. 

As it is in East Orange 

We quote from the New York Tribune, of October 
26 1906: "Excise laws not meant for all." 

"According to the statement of Chief of Police Bell, 
of East Orange, the Board of Excise of that city was 
not altogether sincere when at a meeting of the Board 
Oct. 26, it passed a resolution to abolish growler rush- 
ing in the city. It has been asserted that this move on 
the part or the board aroused the resentment of the 
saloon keepers, who at once became active. 
Chief Bell admitted to a news reporter last night that 
the rule was only being enforced against certain persons 
and that he had been instructed to interpret it in that 
manner, by the board of excise, The written instructions 
of the board were as follows: You should notify all sa- 
loon keepers and proprietors of inns and taverns, that 
the sale of liquors or beer not to be drank on the prem- 
ises be stopped, as it is in violation of law." 



60 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



"Bell declared he had not had time to notify all the 
saloon keepers of the rule. It was not to be enforced 
against respectable people, such as mechanics and fami- 
lies." "The only intention was to break up growler 
parties that collect on vacant lots and rush the can". 

The board of excise was to enforc3 the rule to the 
letter, but so many liquor dealers protested, that it was 
felt "higher up," and the board thought that AT THIS 
TIME of the year, it would be inadvisable to apply 
the regulation to the full extent. East Orange is near 
Newark, which is noted for its breweries. 

This quotation is important, as it opens the door to 
the chamber of secrets, and gives an insight of what 
was intended for "higher ups." 

It was the intention of the board of excise to put up 
a show to the public, of doing something to check the 
saloon evils, and at the same time, injure the brewers 
as little as possible; so the board made the regulations, 
which went on record for the public eye; but modified 
the regulation by exceptions given to Chief Bell, so that 
the regulation applied only to those who had no homes, 
and were obliged to drink out doors. Even this did 
not please the brewers; and the board thought it "inad- 
visable at this time of the year to enforce the rules. 

This was Octoher 26th., and ELECTION was only a 
few days away- Comment is unnecessary. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 61 



The Arbiter 



An article in The Home News of September 5; 1913, 
says "Judge Daiiy, this morning granted the applica- 
tions of Black Horse Hotel and the Red Lion Tavern, 
in North Brunswick township, saying that while ordina- 
rily only one license should be granted in a township, 
it would be a hardship to give to one and not to the 
other in this case/ 5 The licenses were granted on con- 
dition that the proprietors would divide the territory 
aud not compete for business. If either violates this 
he will lose both wholesale and retail licenses." 

In the division of territory between the hotel and the 
tavern, and the prohibition of competition, so that the 
two shall have equal chances, the Judge has acted as 
arbiter; a part not provided for in the license system, 
and shows very plainly that the Judge is looking after 
the interests of the saloonists. Usually, the Judge grants 
a license if in his best judgment, a license would be for 
the good of the place where the license is to be effect- 
ive; but in this case, as in many others, the welfare of 
the beer dealers only, is considered. 



62 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



It would be much better if the Judge would grant 
the licenses and allow the holders of the licenses to 
look after their own business. 

It is too much for one man, to act as license com- 
missioner, and post himself as to the necessities of the 
saloon, so that he need not depend upon twelve men 
selected by the applicant; to act in criminal cases that 
are caused by the saloons; and, attend the civil 
cases that come before him; and at the same time, 
act as arbiter for rival beer dealers. 

A retail license issued under the state laws cannot be 
revoked, unless the holder of the license violates its 
terms. If in granting bottling licenses to those two 
parties, he threatened to cancel the bottling license, if 
its terms were violated, he might be within his rights; 
but to cancel a retail license for the violation of a bot- 
tling license, is beyond a layman's comprehension. 

If the Judge has the right to cancel a license when 
any of its terms are violated, and if he would be 
justified in canceling a license in case of the violation 
of any of the terms made by himself, he also has 
the right to cancel a retail license the term of which have 
been violated. 

In assuming such unlimited authority, the Judge makes 
himself responsible for the evils of the traffic in pro- 
portion to his authority. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 63 



The Judge said that ordinarily only one bottling li- 
cense should be granted in a township, but it would be 
a hardship to grant to one and not to the other. If 
words mean anything, and if ordinarily there should be 
only ONE license granted the extrordinary circumstance 
under which TWO were granted, was the welfare of 
one of these two men. No thought of the rest of the 
people of North Brunswick. 

We think the Judge should not have granted two 
licenses on the grounds he gave; but it proves what we 
have tried to show; that the power given to him, to 
grant licenses under certain circumstances, means that 
he must look out for the interests of saioonists. 

If the Judge had not granted either bottling license, 
the two men would have had equal chances, but the 
brewers would not sell quite as much beer. 

In a contributed Editorial in the Daily Home News 
of New Bannswick, Dec. 27 1913; Rev. Harold Paul 
Sloan says that he sat in the court house one day and 
listened to the trial of a number of excise cases. The 
evidence was clear and convincing: the Court expressed 
itself as satisfied that the law had been violated. 
Then, when the evidence was complete, the Judge dis- 
posed of the cases in words approximately these: There 
is no doubt in mind that the law has been violated in 
this case, and in all of these cases, and that the violation 



64 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



is common practice in this County; I will not, however, 
impose a penalty at this time, because the people of the 
county have encouraged these violations, and they share 
the blame. But, from this time on, every violation of 
the law shall be severely punished. 

Rev. Sloan expressed the opinion that the Judge's 
decision was true justice; for the people of Middlesex 
knew the law was being violated, and they did not 
care sufficiently to protest, and in many cases, they 
personlly encouraged the violation; certainly they shared 
in the blame. 

Rev. Sloan's Editorial is full of good sentiment; but in 
our opinion, he was too careful of the feelings of indi- 
viduals, and placed the blame on the people in general. 

This shows, in one sense, a generous spirit, in an- 
other sense it is unjust and misleading; and not logical. 

The County is a Republic, and delegates its powers in 
the government, to representatives, to do what should be 
done for the best interests of the people; and when that 
is done the people are powerless, except to protest a- 
gainst the acts of their representatives, or against 
their failure to act. 

It seems that the Judge knew that the violation of 
the law was common throughout the County; and by 
threatening all who offended hereafter, acknowledged 
his neglect, in the past, and he is the one to blame. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 65 



If the Judge knew that the law was violated through- 
out the county, why did he not put an end to it ? Why 
should he wait for the people to protest against the 
violation of the law, when he will not listen to a pro- 
test of the people againt granting a license? 

Why should the Prosecutor, when he has detectives 
at his command, wait for a protest, to bring to light 
violation that takes place. Way should the judge or 
the prosecutor need a protest from the people when 
they both know that the law has been violated, and 
that it is their duty to detect and punish offenders ? 

Rev. Sloan expresses the greatest confidence in the 
Judges, and the prosecutor of New Brunswick, with 
whom h2 is acquainted, and says he has had no que:- 
tion of faithfulness or sincerity of these officials. 

If they have a duty to perform and do not perform 
it, they cannot be faithful, unless they have made their 
best efforts, and are inefficient. We do believe that if 
the laws were made in sincerity, they would be faithfully 
executed; every one of average intelligence knows that 
the laws, when made, were not intended to be enforced. 

Strict enforcement would be frowned upon by the law- 
makers. 

When the Judge, referred to, said that he knew that 
violation of the law was common throughout the coun- 
ty, he made confession that he had been negectful. 



66 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Rev. Sloan expresses confidence in the justice of the 
Judge; we have confidence when he is conducting a trial 
case which comes before him; or at any time when act- 
ing in the capacity of judge, but when acting as a li- 
cense commissioner, we have not. 

When the judge licenses a man to sell poisonous 
drinks to his fellow man, knowing that his act will 
cause the ruin of thousands of young men, and cause 
heart-aches to thousands of parents because of licensed 
saloons; the judge, certainly is not just to these suffering 
parents. But let us hear what the Judge says while not 
in the capacity of license commissioner: In The Daily 
Home New of March 23, 1914, we read his advice 
given to a young man who had been arrested for drunk- 
eness and begging. "Stop the tears and the heartaches 
of your parents, and make a man of yourself" 

The Judge had, on another occasion, warned him 
that if he "drank either beer or whiskey, within the 
next three years, he would be heavily punished" 

The 'Commissioner* says licenses are granted for the 
good of the community. 

Will the brewers ever forgive the judge for classing 
beer with whiskey? 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 67 

CHAPTER VII. 

How to Start a Saloon 

It is a very easy matter to start a saloon. First-handed 
from a saloonist, I obtained the following information. 
If a man can get a license, any brewer will set him up 
in business. The brewer will loan money to pay the 
license fee, fit-up and stock a saloon and take a mort- 
gage on the whole outfit, and all the saloonist has to do 
is to sell all the beer he can, make as many customers as 
he can, which is called "building up the business;" and 
to sell only the beer of the helping brewer. This is a 
safe investment for the brewer, for whenever he is dis- 
satisfied with the saloonist he can foreclose and have 
the license transferred to another. 

The brewer has gained by the transaction, for he has 
secured from the State another portion of exclusive 
right to extend his business. As the first saloonist se- 
cured new recruits and strengthened the appetites of old 
drinkers, he largely increased the brewer's interest, as 
the drinkers' appetites, and their habits of frequenting 
the saloon, are all assets and add much value to the 
plant. Very few who patronize the saloon are conscious 
that their weakness of will, and their strength of appe- 
tite have been made a part of the consideration for a 
license fee paid by the saloonist. 



68 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



CHAPTER VIII 



Parallel Cases 



In the latter part of October, 1912, a police officer 
in the City of New York was sentenced to die in the 
electric chair, for murder in the first degree. The cir- 
cumstances were as follows: the lieutenant persuaded a 
bad men to take the life of another man. 

In the same month, a judge of Middlesex County, 
N. J. granted a license to a man living in the county, 
to sell intoxicating liquors; the sale of which liquor 
caused the death of a patron of the saloon. 

The lieutenant knew that his tools were bad men, 
and he also knew that if they, his tools, used the means 
they were persuaded to use, it would cause the death of 
the victim. The lieutenant was found guilty of mur- 
der because he persuaded or advised the killing of a 
fellow man; and he was considered as guilty as those 
who fired the fatal shots. The lieutenant was consid- 
ered the initiative factor in the tragedy, and all the 
others acted subordinate parts. 

The Judge knew that the granting of a license would 
result in the death of more than one man. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 69 

Statistics show, an the Judge knew that one of every 
five of the boys of the country, are destroyed by the 
saloons. The Judge also knew that the man who ap- 
plied for a license was willing to sell poisonous drinks 
not-with-standing it would cause the death of some of 
his patrons. The Judge gave a permit to a bad man, 
to sell poison to cause the death of a fellow man. 

The lieutenant knew that his ADVICE would result in 
the death of one man, the Judge knew that his PERMIT 
would result in the death of more than one man. 

Which was worse, the ADVICE or the PERMIT ? 

Of course, the Judge could not be convicted of crime, 
for he acted in accordance with the laws; but, that 
only shifts the blame to the lawmakers; still, if the law 
leaves it optional with the judge to grant or not to grant 
a license, he is morally guilty, because he chose the 
wrong when he might have chosen the right. 

We may excuse and deceive ourselves, and our fel- 
low man; but we cannot deceive The Great Judge nor 
look Him out of countenance as we can our fellow 
man. 

Let us look at the matter in the light of plain com- 
mon sense. A man who is wicked enough to wish to 
make money by selling poison to his fellow men comes 
before a judge, whose duty is to see that justice prevails 
bewteen man and man, to punish all wrong doers and 



70 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



to suppress wrong as far as possible; this man leads 
five little boys before the Judge and says: I have here 
some little boys to whom I wish to sell rum and beer 
as soon as they are old enough to come under my influ- 
ence. I have no natural right to sell, because it is not 
right; but, I am told that if I pay you for it, you will 
give me a permit to sell and it will not then be wrong. 

You and I both know that according to statistics, one 
of these five boys will be poisoned to death; but, this 
'indulgence', for which I pay, frees me from all guilt. 

There are twelve men just outside the door who own 
a little land, and will vouch for me, that I am a man of 
of good moral character, not-with-standing I am will- 
ing to corrupt the morals of these little boys and de- 
stroy their usefulness in this life and their hopes of a 
future; these men will assure you that it is for the best 
interests of the community in which I vyish to locate, 
that a saloon should be established there: and to further 
satisfy your Honor, I have a learned lawyer who, be- 
cause of much practice, may be considered an expert ad- 
vocate for the granting of licenses, who will vouch for 
the propriety of granting me a license. 

The above is a simple, logical presentation of the li- 
cense-granting farce, when cleared of judicial atmosphere 
and legal formality. If a judge grants licenses under these 
conditions, he deceives himself, if he thinks he is innocent. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 71 



It is a pity that the State does not furnish some data 
by which the Judge could determine for a certainty 
what. benefit saloons would to a community, without rely- 
ing upon the judgment of the signers to an application, 
who are patrons of the saloons. 

Referring again to the case of the lieutenant, and the 
judge; we find that the two cases are alike in principle 
though not the same in degree. The judge who com- 
missions a man to sell poison which he knows will find 
its way to the stomach of men to poison them, really 
furnishes the means to destroy them. The lieutenant 
caused the death of one man, but the saloon causes 
the death of more than one, and degrades all of its 
patrons; and brings trouble and sorrow to the innocent, 
and causes poverty and crime. Many troubles and sor- 
rows come to mankind, by way of disease, accident and 
calamity; but nothing reaches the hellishness of the sa- 
loon which is forced upon us by the lawmakers. 

There seems to be a design in the selection of a 
judge to touch the lever which sets the saloon in motion. 
The fundamental function of a judge in our govern- 
ment, was to review the acts of the lawmakers and pass 
judgment on the constitutionality of the samse and the 
lower judges followed the rulings of their superiors; the 
lawmakers have imposed duties upon county judges, 
much to the injury of the judge's dignity and usefulness 



72 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CNOFLICT 

CHAPTER IX. 
Post Offices and Saloons. 

The Post Office Department at Washington has es- 
tablished offices throughout the Country where ever 
there are inhabitants enough to make one necessary, 
and of late years has, established the R. F. D. system, 
so that every one has full advantage of the postal serv- 
ice, and the rural resident is brought within commu- 
nicating nearness with the whole world. We can but 
admire the completeness of the system, and we realize 
its usefulness. Such a system could not have been or- 
ganized except by harmonious action on the part of 
the authorities and the force of law. The brewers have 
as perfect an organization for the distribution of their 
beer, which they could not have without the aid of the 
lawmakers and the negative co-operation of the United 
States Government. The state has Judge-agents in every 
county to appoint sub-agents, called "appointees of the 
Court," but known to us as Rum-sellers. Every foot of 
territory is covered by the beer wagon, and the four 
walls of the saloon do not limit the saloonist's territory. 
There is logic in acts, as well as in words. By the distribu- 
tion of beer only, the State endorses the use of beer. 

No class of business men have such protection as the 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 73 



brewers have. The object of the beer wagon is two- 
fold: to sell more beer, and to teach children who are 
too young to go to the saloon, to drink in their homes. 

The School Census of Patterson, N. J., made a few 
days ago, showed eighty cases of drunkeness of school 
children. No doubt, the fruit of the beer delivered to 
families by the beer wagon. The brewers, by the help 
of the lawmakers, have accomplished as much, in the 
way of perfect organization, as the United States has, in 
the mail service. When the territory of a state is 
farmed out to individuals for a private business, by the 
lawmakers, it is time that men should look out for their 
freedom. There is no other business that has such 
protection. 

It is said that the meat packers forming the beef 
trust, have the Western States divided among them- 
selves so that each packer has territory in which no 
other packer may enter for the purpose of buying cat- 
tle. This arrangement prevents competition, and cat- 
tle raisers must sell at the buyer's price. 
The principle of dividing the territory by the packers 
and dividing the territory for the brewers, is the same. 

For the purposes of the beef business, the packers 
divide for themselves; but for the brewers, the Judge 
does the dividing. For the past few years, the Govern- 
ment has frowned upon the beef trust, but the brewers 



74 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CNOFLICT 



bask in the sunny smiles of the lawmakers. 
It is evident that these laws were not asked for by 
the people, for the majority would not ask for laws 
that would deprive themselves of privileges which oth- 
ers enjoy. When it becomes known that the lawmakers 
mis-use the power given to them by the people, for the 
benefit of brewers, or any class, to the injury of those 
who gave that pow T er; the people will rebel. They are 
fast learning to understand the partiality of the law- 
makers. The result of the probing for graft, now going 
on in the City of New York, furnishes good evidence 
that men of high standing, will bear watching. 

We make no distinction between the polititician, and 
the lawmaker; for when the politician is elected, he is 
a politician still, and will be influenced by politicians. 

Evils of Beer Peddling. 

If beer wagons were not allowed to peddle beer from 
house to house, there would be much less beer drink- 
ing in families. There are many families whe now pat- 
ronize the beer wagon who would not patronize the sa- 
loon; this is very evident, for it is to sell more beer, 
and gain new recruits, that the wagon is sent out. If it is 
the object of the beer wagon to sell more beer than 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 75 



is called for at the saloon, it is evident that the lawmak- 
ers are in with the brewers, to increase the amount of 
sales, and make more patrons of the saloon. 

The lawmaker might be considered consistent in say- 
ing that saloons are necessary to quench the thirst of 
those who have strong appetites, but, there is no reason 
to send the wagon out to families for this purpose of 
creating appetites to enrich the brewers. 

There are thousands of children who become acquaint- 
ed with the taste and the effects of beer, when it is 
supplied to them in their homes, who would never know 
its taste, except for the beer wagon. They get the taste 
and the liking for beer, before they are permitted to 
visit the saloon; and, when they get old enough to buy 
at the saloon, they will, all ready, have become moder- 
ate drinkers. 

The beer wagon has not been on the road long enough 
to show just what the result will be, but time will tell. 
Supplying beer to children at their homes, is the 
Kindergarten of the saloon business. 

If beer drank in the saloon will create a desire for 
strong drink, it will produce the same effect when 
drank at home. The lawmakers have gone away back 
to the cradle, to familiarize the baby stomach with 
the use of beer. 



76 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Statistics show that in 1909, there were, in the 
United States, one hundred and eighty deaths caused by 
smallpox, eleven thousand four hundred and eight, 
from scarlet fever; and from diphtheria and croup, 
twenty-three thousand and four hundred; from pneumo- 
nia, seventy thousand and thirty three; from tuberculosis 
eighty-one thousand seven huudred and twenty; from 
cancer, thirty-seven thousand five hundred and sixty-two; 
and from alcohol, one-hundred and fifty-two thousand 
seven hundred and eighty-one. 

Counting the number of deaths caused by tuberculo- 
sis, and the number caused by pneumonia, making a 
total of one hundred and fifty-one thousand seven hun- 
dred and fifty three; we find that the number of deaths 
caused by alcohol, was one thousand and twenty-eight 
more than the deaths caused by tuberculosis and pneu- 
monia combined. 

People throughout the United States are intensely in 
terested in their efforts to stamp out the above named 
diseases, and the lawmakers in most of the states are 
intensely in earnest to increase the number of deaths by 
alcohol. Death by tuberculosis is preferable, for the 
victim may have lived a pure and useful life, with a 
bright hope of a happy future; while the drunkard who 
dies because of a wasted and sinful life, must look for- 
ward with great anxiety. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 77 

CHAPTER X 

Drunkeness aad Disease. 

The definition of 'disease,' as given by Webster, '"Any de- 
viation from health in function or structure, the cause 
of pain or uneasiness; malady or sickness." "Any con- 
dition of a living body in which the organs are in- 
terrupted or disturbed/' "A disordered state of mind 
or intellect, by which the reason is impaired." 

The first effects of disease, uneasiness, and pain, the 
final result is death." 

Under the head 'Alcohol', we quote from the National 
Encyclopedia as follows: It seems to be proved that 
alcohol stays in the blood for a long time: that it exer- 
cises a direct and primary action on the nervous centers, 
whose functions it modifies, perverts, or abolishes, accord- 
ing to the dose and accumulation in the nervous cen- 
ters, and in the liver. There are frequent occasions of 
cases in which it is almost impossible for a non-pro- 
fessional person; the police for example, to distinguish 
between drunkeness and apoplexy, concussion of the 
brain and opium poisoning. It is the unanimous opinion 
of all medical and scientific men of high repute, that 
alcohol causes insanity, idiocy, epilepsy and diseases of 
all kinds.' 4 



78 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CNOFLICT 



Drunkeness is caused by the lawmakers who are try- 
in g to stamp out other diseases. 

In 1911, the legislature of Pennsylvania created a 
Commission to study the subject of segregation, care 
and treatment of feble minded and epileptic persons. 

After two years' work, the Committee reported in 
part, as follows: "Alcoholism and feble- mindedness are 
so intimately related, as to bring this subject within the 
province of this Commission, which from its investigation 
feels warranted in making the declaration that alcohol- 
ism, next to heredity, is the most prominent contribu- 
tory cause in producing mental defects, degeneration 
and disease. 

We quote from Dr. Britton D. Fvans, medical direct- 
or of the Morrisplains Hospital, as follows: "As the 
outcome of habitual drunkeness, dipsomania or inebriety 
in the parent, the children have frequently transmitted 
to them a neuropathic taint, a predisposition to mental 
unbalance or an unsteady equilibrium. Not only have 
I subscribed to this, but I have gone further and stated 
to you that parents who are victims of alcoholism in its 
various pronounced forms beget children who not only 
more readily manifest many of the functional neuroses, 
but show the pernicious results of alcohol in the exhi- 
bition of insanity, epilepsy, idiocy, imbecility and 
cholera." 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 79 



The proposition to establish laws to subject persons 
to an examination as to physical fitness to enter into 
matrimonial alliance is being advocated, and seems to be 
gaining favor; and may become a law in the near fu- 
ture; for the enactment of a law does not depend upon 
the wishes of the majority of the people, but on the 
will and desire of the iawmakers. Snouid such a law 
be made, it would open up the way to graft which would 
far exceed the gambling graft, or the saloon graft. 

Saloon and gambling graft can be practiced only by 
those engaged in those things, but graft on physical 
conditions could be practiced by every unmarried male 
or female of marriageable age. and there would be a 
rich harvest for health examiners. 

But, should such a law be passed, a large percentage 
of the young men of marriageable age, would be un- 
fit to marry because of physical effects of the moderate 
use of alcoholic drinks; and, if habits and appetites, are 
considered tendencies to the developement of some dis- 
ease, the number of ineligible young men, would be 
greatly increased. Young men who indulge in drinking, 
should bear this in mind, or they may create suspicion 
against themselves. 



80 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

CHAPTER XI. 

The State vs. Youth 



The State makes laws to regulate the sale of intoxi- 
cating liquors and to limit the evils resulting from such 
sale. This implies that without regulation, the saloons 
are evils, and if regulation does not remove them, they 
are still there. The fact that lawmakers pretend to e- 
liminate the evils is a guarantee that they have been 
eliminated, which disarms youth of suspicion; and they 
look upon the saloon as a serpent whose poisonous fangs 
have been drawn, and therefore, harmless. They look 
upon the saloon so purified by regulation, that it is a 
"Poor Man's Club," provided by the State for the poor 
man. Under a wrong impression of the character of 
the saloon, and the erroneous belief in its harmlessness, 
he makes himself acquainted with the workings of the 
saloon, and is bitten, and when it is too late, he learns 
that the serpent's fangs have not been drawn; and he 
finds that the State has been guilty of deception and 
false pretense. The further fact that the State shows 
its care and guardianship over the children of the state 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 81 



by providing schools, teachers, book, and many means of 
fitting the children to become useful citizens, and to 
enable them to enjoy all the advantages that a good 
education gives; and at the same time, enacting laws 
compelling parents to send their children to school; all 
these evidences of careful guardianship gam the confi- 
dence of the chiid; and then the state establishes saloons 
that depend upon these same children for th i rir support. 

The drunkards of the future generation, are in the 
public schools of to-day. The lawmakers are more inter- 
ested in the saloons than they are in the public schools, 
because they get political support from the saloons, but 
not from the schools. 

When a boy leaves school, at the age of sixteen, his 
knowledge of the evils of the saloon, has been obtained 
by observation of drunkards, and, while he naturally ab- 
hors drunkeness, he looks at the matter as the over-in- 
dulgence of the drunkard, and not a fault of the sa- 
loon. He comes to this conclusion by observing mod- 
erate drinkers. 

At this age, a boy has not a fully developed character, 
and is easily influenced, and apt to indulge in what- 
ever will give him pleasure. This is the most dangerous 
period, and much depends upon surrounding influ- 
ences, and he is dangerously near the edge of a preci- 
pice, and friendly hands should be ready to draw him 



82 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

away from danger. There is scarcely a chance to save 
a confirmed drunkard after he has fallen from his man- 
hood, but when we see the youth indulging in his first 
glass; or, better still, if we can take hold of him when 
he is first tempted, we may lend him a helping hand. 
The first drink is the danger point. 

The State provides asylumns for the inebriate, and 
it also establishes saloons that make inebriates, and 
the saloons are scattered all over the state where ever 
a saloon can be made profitable. Children in the public 
school are provided with text book to teach of the evil 
effects of alcohol on the human system, the children are 
made to wonder why saloons exist on every corner. 
No one can explain the inconsistency without charging 
the lawmakers with duplicity. The result of this duplic- 
ity of the lawmakers, is to cause the children, when they 
become older and can reason for themselves, to detest 
the laws and to feel themselves justified in violating any 
law provided they can do it and avoid detection. 

Children who suffer because of intemperate fathers 
are quick to feel the injury done to them by the laws 
which establish saloons, and the State, in time, suffers 
because of bad citizens. 

We quote from the American Issue, a pari: of an 
Editorial of March 21, 1913, as follows: If it is 
an offense to curtail* the education of the young 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 83 



by reason of a wrongful political system; if it is an 
offense to overwork children through ignorance of the 
principles of industrial efficiency; what shall be said of 
a system that makes children drunkards, to feed the 
greed of brewers? A system of vice monopoly, not 
content to steal the brain, and prostitute the body, but 
disinherits the soul and closes the door of heaven? 



84 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 
CHAPTER XII 



Newspaper Influence 

Newspapers are powerful for the cultivation of senti- 
ment, either good or bad, according to the tendencies of 
the editor, or the correspondents; and it is a habit, and 
sometimes the policy of the editor to magnify the mer- 
its of a saying or an expressed principle, and to ampli- 
fy there upon. Newspapers are edacators, as well, and 
are duly appreciated for the good they do. Their success 
depends largely upon the support and good will of men 
who are high up in political circles, and to secure their 
support and good wills the editor sometimes resorts to 
flattery, and extols the importance of sentiments more 
than is justified. 

We illustrate by a quotation from the Daily Home 
News, of December 27, 1912. 

"The Reason" 

"President elect Wilson has been telling how he smoked 
once and only once. The first cigar made him sick; but 
this was not the reason that he did not persevere in 
possessing himself of a taste which is always an acquired 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 85 



one. No body said he must not smoke; and so there was 
no incentive to do that which might make him sick a- 
gain." The editor continues: "We are glad to have this 
universal law of human nature touched upon by a man 
who may be accepted as authority in the matter of 
young human nature." The editor continues: "the gen- 
eral class of human beings who may be referred to as 
prohibitionists of one kind or another: the people who arc 
forever saying 'thou shalt not' relative to everything of 
which they do not approve, may learn muci from the 
story of the boy who did not learn to smoke because 
no one said he must not." 

Was it Mr. Wilson who gave the reason for not not 
smoking the second cigar, or was it the editor ? 
The comments and the sentiments are clearly the edi- 
tor's. 

As to the little boy's smoking only one cigar, or his 
reason for not smoking another, does not concern us; 
but the editor's remarks, and the use of this little inci- 
dent in a boy's life, to build up an argument against 
prohibitionists, as well as all laws of restraint, compel us 
to notice his remarks. 

The editor cites Mr. Wilson, to give force to his ar- 
gument, and qualifies him as an expert authority of 
much experience as a teacher of youth. The wisdom of 
the man commends the act of the boy. 



86 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The Daily Home News is received into our family 
as a clean and valuable paper, and we are sorry to 
object to the sentiments expressed in the above men- 
tioned article. 

The teaching of this article is that "Thou shalt not" 
is an incentive to do what is forbidden, an furnishes an 
excuse for children who do wrong, and if the parent 
says to his child, "thou shalt not," the parent becomas 
responsible for the wrong done by the child, 

It is true that Prof. Wilson is a teacher of youth and 
should be authority on this subject. The writer has 
devoted thirty-four years to the education of the young 
and has found that "thou shalt not" backed by strict 
enforcement of just laws is a healthful and beneficial 
discipline; and I am sure that Prof. Wilson could not 
have attained the success he has in educating youth, 
without the use of rertrictive rules. 

The Ten Commandments, given by Him who made 
man, and knew the nature of man as well as the com- 
manments, contains "thou shalt not" ten times. God said 
Thou mayest eat, &c. but his first command was, Thou 
shalt not &c, and, that our first parents fell, was 
because of the argument used by the devil; and the 
Home News cannot claim originality in presenting this 
argument. According to this argument, God made an 
incentive to violate His Commands. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT. 87 



Most of the laws of the state are intended to restrain 
wrong doing, and all say "thou shalt not". If there 
are no restaining laws, men can only be punished when 
they fail to do what they are commanded to do; but, 
according to the editor's theory, a command to DO 
would be as much an incentive NOT TO DO, as a 
command NOT TO DO, would be TO DO. 

Government, as we understand it, implies control, ac- 
cording to certain prescribed conditions consistent with 
the rights and duties of the governed; and if there 
were no virtue in u thou shalt not," there would be no 
control. It is true that those who are under the control 
of others, are inclined to do what they are commanded 
not to do, but they are as inclined not to do what they 
are commanded to do. The truth is that some men 
are so strong in their desire to do as they please 
that they do as they wish in SPITE of command, and 
not BECAUSE of it. All restraint is objectionable to 
those who are inclined to do evil. 



88 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The One Great Question 

The New York Journal of August 19, 1913, reaches 
us this day with a surprise in store, which we are com- 
pelled to notice. Two double columns of Editorial page 
are given to this subject The aigimeiit is that it is 
an impossibility to secure prohibition by laws, and the 
only way to solve the question of drunkeness, is to turn 
from whiskey to beer, and the only way this can be 
brought about, is for the twenty thousand editors in 
the United States to act as teachers and "compel their 
readers to think upon it with concentration and discuss 
it sanely." The reason given for the change from whis- 
key to beer, is that it is impossible to enforce prohibi- 
tion by law, but the brewers think they can prohibit 
the sale of whiskey. 

We have read the article several times, with much 
surprise; and have concluded that it is editorial space, 
loaned to the brewers at advertising rates. But the in- 
fluence of the paper was sold with the space. 

The proposition to induce editors to become beer a- 
gents, and beer advocates, by a paper of such influ- 
ence as the Journal, without compensation from the 
brewers, or, for compensation, staggers us; and to think 
that it was realy an "Editorial" ! ! ! 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 89 

CHAPTER XIII 

The Cat Out of The Bag. 

Some time ago when the wave of prohibition was 
making great gains in different parts of the country, 
the brewers became a little nervous and thought it nec- 
essary to jog the minds of the lawmakers; and at a 
convention of the New Jersey State Brewers' Associa- 
tion, at Newark, N J., passed the following resolution: 
"Resolved that the brewers of New Jersey in common 
with the their fellow manufacturers throughout the li- 
nked States, earnestly appeal to the lawmakers, to 
ADHERE to their policy of ENCOURAGING and 
FOSTERING an American industry which produces 
the most healthful and nutritious beverge, containing 
a smaller amount of alcohol than any fermented liquor, 
and therefore, universally recognized as the most effect- 
ive TEMPERANCE AGENT, where ever the evils of 
alcohol demand remedial legislation." 

According to Webster's dictionary, ADHERE means 
TO STICK TO. The petition, then is that the lawmakers 
stick to their policy &c; and the inference is that the 
lawmakers have, in the past, had a policy of encourag- 
ing and fostering the beer business and the brewers 
wish them to continue the same policy. 



90 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Is Beer a Temperance Agent? 



Every body, even the brewers, know that drunkeness 
is caused by drinking alcoholic drinks, and that a taste 
or slight indulgence in the use of alcoholic drinks will 
create an appetite that increases according to frequen- 
cy and extent of indulgence, until it cannot be satisfied. 

If this is true, the question is, is beer a temperance 
agent ? Beer is said to contain two percent alcohol; 
and brandy contains from ten to twenty-five percent of 
its weight, of alcohol. Taking the average of the sever- 
al varieties of brandy, say eighteen percent, and com- 
paring it with beer at two percent alcohol, and we get 
the following result: The average drink of brandy, is a 
common small glass about one fourth full, or about five 
cubic inches. A common drink of beer, is a"schooner" 
filled full, which contains about forty-five cubic inches, 
or nine times the bulk of a driak of brandy. It is evi- 
dent then, that a schooner of beer will contain just as 
much alcohol as a drink of brandy. 

The brewers may claim that it is not fair to compare 
beer with brandy, unless the same quantity of each be 
taken, but we are considering beer as a temperance 
drink, and we must consider the size of the dose 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 91 



required to satisfy his thirst. Beer is not a temperance 
agent, but an agent to produce drunkeness. 
The brewers' formula is on the principle of "Similia 
Similibus Curantur," but to be consistent, they should 
follow the Homeopathic practice of dilution, say the 
second dilution; one drop of alcohol to ten thousand 
drops of water. Even if beer is a temperance drink, it 
should not be sold at the same place where stronger 
drinks are sold. If a man has malarial fever, it is not 
good for him to go to a malarial swamp to take his 
medicine. If a man does not drink stronger alcoholic 
liquors, there is no need of his drinking beer to cure 
him when he has no disease; and if he has the habit, 
of drinking stronger alcoholic drinks, beer will not satisfy 
him, for the same quantity of alcohoi will be required, 
whether it be in whiskey or in larger bulk, beer. There 
is something wrong with the brewers' logic, for there 
is more beer sold every year, and there are more 
drunkards. If any man likes beer better than he likes 
brandy he has already all the beer he can pay for, and 
there is no need of help of the lawmakers. 

The use of beer to cure the habit of drunkeness, is 
like the brewers' formula for making beer: juniper ber- 
as an antidote for salicylic acid; and the saloons need 
beer as an antidote for the whiskey they sell. Beer as a 
cure for drunkeness, is a failure, 



92 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



A Cry for Help. 

Referring again to the brewers' resolution, they in- 
clude with themselves, as petitioners, all of the brewers 
of the United States, and humbly petition the lawmak- 
ers of all the states to adhere, &c, which indicates that 
the lawmakers of all the states are closely connected 
with the brewers of the several states, and that the 
policy of all the states is to "encourage and foster" the 
beer business. This cry for help shows that the brewers 
have heard the heavy tramp of the temperance army 
as it goes marching on. Let temperance workers take 
the hint, and regard the lawmakers, even as the brewers 
do, the foundation and support of the beer business; and 
remember that the power given to them by the 
people, for the good of the people, the lawmakers are 
using for a special class who prey upon the people. 

The lawmakers have beaten us with the club we 
placed in their hands to defend us with, and we tamely 
submit; and the lawmakers laugh at our credulity. 

We have long suspected that there was an under- 
standing between the brewers and the lawmakers, but 
have not been able to prove it, until one of the parties 
to the understanding "squealed" on the other party, at 
a moment of excitement, and the truth comes out. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 93 



This understanding throws light on the character of 
the laws that are made regulating the sale of intoxi- 
cating drinks. The qnestion is; what do the brewers 
do for the lawmakers in consideration of such favor ? 

The President's Message 

Another resolution by the same conventon, reads as 
follows: "We denounce all places of an unlawful and 
disorderly character and heartily RECOMMEND the 
enactment of such laws as will effectually prevent them, 
and punish those who conduct them." This is a large 
measure of piety, on the part of the brewers, but it 
does not cost them anything, not even a glass of beer, 
but is calculated to make a deep impression on the 
minds of the opposers of the saloon. But even in this 
spasmodic outburst of piety the brewers have not lost 
sight of their beer interests, but are still working for 
Mr. Brewer. Of course, the brewers are speaking of 
places where beer is sold, and they know that if the 
disorderly feature of the saloon could be eliminated, it 
would make saloons less hateful to decent people, and 
they hope in time, to make it possible to sell beer on 
Sunday, and, a little later, to sell in the vestsbule of 
the church. 



94 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

u Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, 

To be hated needs but be seen, 
But, seen too oft, familiar with her face, 

We first endure, then pity, and then embrace." 

Notice the resolution: " We denounce all unlawful" places, 
but a saloon that is licensed, is not an unl awful place, 
so this word was used for the sake of euphony. 

Notice again that the brewers say, when addressing 
the lawmakers WE RECOMMEND the enactment of 
such laws &c. This word sounds good and familiar, 
but it reminds us that the wood is frequently used 
by the President of the United States in his messages 
to Congress; and by the Governor of the State to the 
Legislature; and is semi-authoritative modestly expressed. 

How much, if any light, does this incidental use of 
this word in a petition to the Lawmakers, give on the 
authority, or the confidential understanding between the 
brewers and the lawmakers? The brewers never open 
their mouths to j-peak but i:hey say something. 

The reason, I suppose, the brewers make so many 
breaks is that they are so certain of their relations to 
the lawmakers, that they think every one knows these 
relations, and they are less guarded, 
Another resolution passed at the same Convention, reads 
as follows: "Resolved that the brewers of New Jersey, 
in convention assembled, pledge to the municipal 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 95 



Authorities throughout the State, our best efforts, both 
as individuals and as an organization, to second their 
efforts in forcing the discontinuance of such places as 
may be offensive to the moral sense of their respective 
communities/' This is another spasm, but it is addition- 
al evidence that the brewers think that they have a 
strong hold upon the lawmakers, and can influence them 
to make such laws as they, the brewers, may ask for. 

No individual brewer or organization of brewers, has 
any legal authority to discontinue any offensive place 
that they do not own. The brewers are perfectly safe 
in offering to second the efforts of a municipality. They 
know that when any municipality wishes to discontinue 
any offensive place, it can do it without the help of the 
brewers. The only way the brewers could help,would be 
by their influence with the authorities higher than the 
authorities of the municipality. And if the municipal 
authorities could not prevail upon the authorities higher 
up, and get the same help that the brewers could, it 
shows plainly that the brewers, as a class, have more 
power, or influence over the lawmakers than the muni- 
cipalities have. 

How can an individual carpenter or an organization 
of carpenters, or an organization of any other class of 
macufacturers second the efforts of a municipaity? 
They could not, because they aro not brewers; and 



96 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



if the brewers can, it is because they ARE brewers. 

This is additional evidence that the brewers, think 
they have more influence over the lawmakers, than any 
other class of people, and a greater influence than any 
Municipality has. 

Since the adoption of thes? resolutions, we have not 
heard of any individual brewer or any Association of 
brewers doing anything to close objectionable places. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 97 

CHAPTER XIV 

Another Conference. 

The following is a part of a report of the proceed- 
ings of the conference of brewers representing the brew- 
ing interests of New York City: held on December 7th 
1907. "Adolphus Busch, the head of the great An- 
heuser Brewing Company in St. Louis, epitomized the 
thoughts of the conference when he said: I long have 
known that this business should be regulated, and I have 
anxiously waited for the time to come when the public 
will be ready to assist in the duty of regulation. 
"From now on I am stripped for action in a new fight. 

"Here-to-fore, it has been a matter of dollars and 
cents: of fierce competition. From now on I will strive 
to the utmost of my resources to eliminate the evils 
which have grown like weeds around our business. 

"I cannot view with indifference, the opinions of my 
coutrymen concerning an institution which has been the 
pride of my life. "Hereafter, if the eagle, which is the 
sign and mark of our house, shall be found in any resort 
which is not orderly and law abiding, it must come 
down and I will join in any process for the elimina- 
tion of such resort." 

The report further says the utterances of Mr. Busch 
wee fairly representative of the sentiments expressed 



98 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



by the Schlitz, Bapst, and other interests." The reporter 
further says that no secret was made by the brewers 
that the wave of Prohibition, which, in local option or 
other forms has swept over the South and is making 
deep inroads in the North, inspires this movement. 

It gives them the opportunity they long have desired, 
that of taking away their produce from the dive keep- 
ers and habitual drunkards. 

The brewers in this convention were sick at heart, and 
sad, because prohibition was making such gains through- 
out the land. 

"When the Devil was sick 

The Devil a monk would be, 
When the Devil got well, 
A devil-a-monk was he." 
Mr. Busch says that evils have grown up around the 
business like weeds; he would better express it if he had 
said evils have grown up IN the business like weeds. 
The business produces nothing but evils; it is the beer 
that causes the evils. Mr. Busch could remove all of 
the evils by removing his beer, 

This convention was held about six year ago, and Mr. 
Busch still has his coat on, and he is still working for 
dollars and cents, and the eagle, the "sign of our house" 
still hangs over the low dive where Busch's beer is sold. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 99 



The only difference between the low dive and the re- 
spectable saloon, is in the clothes the patrons wear and 
the money they spend. The recent exposures of crim- 
inals in the City of New York, show that the worst men 
are not patrons of the low dives, but are patrons of the 
high dives which have the appearance of respectability. 

The dives are eruptions on the outside and show the 
condition of the system, and the stage of the disease. 

The character of the dive is so openly bad that it is 
repulsive to innocent 5 r outh, but the respectable saloon 
covers up its real wickedness and entices youth within 
its doors, to remains as long as his money lasts and 
he can wear good clothes, then he is a candidate for 
the low dive. Mr. Busch is shocked at the great a- 
mount of evils that are in the low dives, but the low 
dives are licensed by law and are a part of the system. 

The brewers, alone, could put an end to all of these 
evils, and the lawmakers alone, could end them; but, 
the lawmakers and the brewers are branches of the 
same business. 

The brewers are consistent in what they do, for they 
work for their own business; but the lawmakers are 
supposed to work for the good of those whom they 
represent, but work in the interests of the brewers. 

The brewers and the lawmakers are pleased with each 
other, and they harmoniously work for mutual good, 



100 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



the lawmakers establish the dives and the brewers sup- 
ply the beer, and the dives pay for the privileges they 
enjoy. 

Is it possible for an intelligent person to understand 
how a business of such a character as the beer business 
can receive such favorable consideration by the lawmak- 
ers unless the lawmakers are in turn, favored by 
the brewers? Without the favorable consideration by 
the lawmakers, the liquor traffic could not exist; and the 
business is so profitable that those who are engaged in 
it can well afford to be generous. Let the lawmakers ex- 
plain and remove suspicion. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 101 

CHAPTER XV 

The Brewers' Argument. 

The New York Journal of March 22, 1910, published 
an article from the pen of Rev. R. D. Sawyer, pastor 
of the First Congregational Church of Ware, Mass. 

This article was the fourth of a series of articles by 
the same author, for the purpose of showing "How to 
make a move for true Temperance." 

The sub-title is: 

"Arguments for the Beer Saloon vs. Prohibition." 

The whole argument in this article, is the same as is 
given by the brewers themselves. It would appear that 
the brewers had sought out a minister of the Gospel, 
to set forth the views of the brewers, and that the 
brewers have furnished the argument, and by securing 
the approval of one of God's ministers, have to some 
degree, gained the approval of their own conscience. 

Rev. Sawyer was called by God, to bless the people; 
and, behold he has blessed the people's enemy and curs- 
ed the people to the extent of his influence. Rev. 
Sawyer says "Prohibition is an attempt to legislate so 
far in advance of sentiment, as to be practically, a mere 
farce, which need deceive no one, save those who are 
bound to see success in it any way." 



102 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



"But, assuming for the sake of the argument, we 
could secure this enforcement, I believe the argument 
for the saloon better than those for prohibition." 

Rev. Sawyer's first argument is on Economic grounds. 

He says "prohibition would deprive of its investment, 
over three billions of dollars of capital. It would deprive 
a million of men of a chance to earn their living at their 
chosen trade. 

It would deprive the farmer of a market for grain 
that would require a territory equal to two states to 
raise. It would take away a revenue of one hundred 
millions from the United States Government." 
"Prohibition would be, on economic grounds, so serious 
as to be impracticable. It is beer, the bulky stuff, that 
gives work to builders, teamsters, horse-shoers, mechan- 
ics, plumbers, coopers, wagon-makers, glass-blowers, 
transportation companies &c. It is beer that uses most 
of the farmer's grain". Stopping the sale of hard drinks 
would cause hardly an economic ripple, but stoppiug 
the sale of beer would be an economic catastrophe, un- 
der our present system." 

The Poor Man's Club. 

The Second reason given by Rev. Sawyer that the 
saloon has the best of the argument, is that "prohibi- 
tion does not fully and properly consider the value of 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 103 



the saloon as the poor man,s club, or as a social insti- 
tution for the working classes." "Any man who has 
gone into a town in a working man's garb, with a week's 
beard on his face, with little money in his pocket, 
and no freinds, knows the saloon as the working man's 
club room. 

Where is such a man, in a strange city, to go? 
The restaurants do not want him, the stores even are not 
open to him: he may find a labor union or a socialist 
hall where he can find KINDRED SPIRITS and friends, 
but to most speedily fine friends of his OWN class; to 
get information, fellowship, help and to attend to nature's 
needs, he usually steers for a saloon." 

"Once when moving from one parish to another, I 
I drove a team over the road. I looked a liltle rough, 
no doubt. I had a bundle to leave for a little while, as 
I was passing through Boston. I tried several places, 
where, if I had been wearing my clerical garb, I have 
no doubt I could have left it in either of them, but, in 
my working clothes none seemed able to accommodate 
me. In despair, I turned in to a saloon, and the first bar- 
keeper I timidly approached replied, "sure, put it behind 
that beer barrel as long as you want to." 

"Society has the right to say that the working man's 
social club shall be regulated by law, that it shall be run 



104 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



in a way least troublesome to the community, but it has 
no right to say that the place where the unwashed and 
hard worked find their gathering place, shall not be. 
Rev. Sawyer's third proposition is 

Human Want Supplied. 

"Prohibition does not properly consider the natural 
human longing for something soothing and stimulating." 

"Men in the long, hard struggle and upward march 
of the race, have always resorted to something to soothe 
the tired muscles and exhilerate their jaded spirits." 

"The race has not yet reached the point where it will 
give up these things entire. But, shall we not seek to 
guide them to take that which is least harmful, or shall 
we for the sake of an idea, drive them back to some- 
thing worse than beer?" 

The Rev. Sawyer has covered the grounds claimed 
by the brewers and given the same arguments that the 
brewers give, and for this reason, we are obliged 
to give so much attention to what he has said. But, 
while the arguments are the brewers,' we shall be com- 
pelled to reply to them as the arguments of Rev. Sawyer 
who as a representative of the Church, advocates the 
use of beer to improve man's condition. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 105 



Comments On The Foregoing. 

The foregoing arguments are the weakest and most 
nonsensical arguments ever presented to substantiate 
any cause, or to establish any doctrine or theory of the 
least importance. Weak, they are, but strong enough 
to satisfy the lawmakers; and the brewers can give no 
stronger arguments, themselves. No lawmaker will try 
to give argument or reasons for maintaining the saloon. 

Mr. Sawyer makes unfortunate use of terms: "The 
stimulating effects to sooth the tired muscles and exhil- 
erate the jaded spirits." 

From a New York paper we quote the following: 
"Three drunken rowdies invaded Corpus Christy Church 
at Newport, Ky. across the river from Cincinnati, this 
morning, and by shouting and brandishing their weapons 
caused a panic among the several hundreds of worship- 
ers at early Mass; the congregation stampeded, but 
were halted by the reassuring words of the priest. The 
men in the congregation surrounded the ruffians, and 
after a hard fight, disarmed them. VERY STIMU- 
LATING. 

A man lived in Metuchen, New Jersey who had some 
money and a strong appetite for alcoholic drinks, spent 
most of his time in a saloon: "The Poor Man's Club." 



106 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



This he did day after day until he became so weak that 
he could no longer stand before the bar, and then a 
chair was brought, in which he occupied as long as he 
was able to go to the saloon, and within a week he 
died, a drunkard. - VERY SOOTHING. The kind-heart- 
ed saloonist sold this man beer day by day, and saw 
him dying hour by hour. These are but samples of daily 
doings in every part of the country where the saloon 
is allowed to exist; and this is a sample of the "Poor 
Man's Club." 

Public Sentiment 

Rev. Sawyer says the public sentiment is not yet ripe 
for prohibition; and the brewers say the same. 

Brewers and lawmakers know much about the senti- 
ment of those with whom they associate: they assDciate 
with each other and meet in bar-rooms to exchange 
sentiments, and for other purposes. If they associated 
with Christian workers, as freely as they do with political 
parties and saloon advocates, they would know more 
of the sentiment of the people. Now they know as much 
about popular sentiment as a plow-boy knows of navi- 
gation, but they should know better, for the brewers have 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 107 



sounded the alarm and called upon "every farmer, every 
manufacturer, to rise up and to claim their rights and 
fight against tue gigantic and growing evils of prohibition, 
which threaten the Nation with the greatest panic the 
world e^er knew." (from a large poster sent ouL by die 
U. S. Brewers' Association). The lawmakers are not 
sincere when they say that public sentiment is not ripe 
for prohibition, or they would not hesitate to grant Lo- 
cal Option, which w T ould be a test of public sentiment. 

"Popular sentiment" is an argument of last resort. 

A few days ago, since he became President of the 
United States, Mr. Wilson, while attending to the po- 
litical affairs of New Jersey, in speaking on the 'Jury 
Reform' bill, which was under consideratian by the Leg- 
islature, said: "I am quite sure that the bill meets with 
popular favor throughout the state." This is easily said 
if one says it quickly, but the truth is that not more 
than ten per cent of the people knew at the time, that 
such a bill was being considered, and not more than 
five per cent knew what the bill was; yet, Mr. Wilson 
was quite sure that it met with popular favor. 

A very large proportion of the laws enacted by the 
legislature are not known to the majority of the people 
until long after they are passed, and then comment is 
useless and, then, as a matter of fact, the sentiment 



108 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



of the people is not known. Many laws are made that 
are offensive to the people, and the sentiment of the 
people is not considered. Lawmakers and executive offi- 
cer are apt to consider the sentiments of their own party, 
as the sentiments of the people; some even go so far 
as to consider their own wishes, as the sentiment of 
the people. Popular sentiment, as an argument has no 
weight, every question stands on its own merit. 

If popular sentiment should be considered a guide to 
legislation, the lawmakers would be obliged to make law 
to suit the majority, whether the laws were wicked, or 
good; and if the majority wished to steal, the laws should 
be made to legalize theft. In a community where the 
majority are in favor of evil, there is greater seed of 
laws to restrain evildoers; the majority are often wrong, 
as in the case of our Saviour, who had but few friends. 

The public sentiment caused His crcifiction. 

We suppose Rev. Sawyer got his idea of popular 
sentiment from the "kindred spirits'' in the saloon. 

If we canvass the Borough of Metuchen, the place 
where I live, with four saloons, seven churches, several 
temperance societies and other philanthropic societies; 
we find a very large majority against the saloon. 

The application of D. C. Whalen, spoken of elewhere 
in this book, had thirty signers, two of whom were his 
father and his brother, while the remonstrance had 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 109 



had eighty-one signers, but Wha!en got his license. 

This shows how much popular sentiment is worth 
when it comes to saloons. 

Speaking for the brewers, Rev. Sawyer says: "Prohi- 
bition would be, on economic grounds, so serious a 
matter as to be impossible.' ' 

When one wishes to know the nature of any substance, 
either of the vegetable or of the mineral kingdom, he 
sends a sample, a very small portion to the chemist for 
analysis; he need not send mountains of ore; but a small 
sample. Or if he wishes to know the elements of his soil, 
he need not send his whole farm. Following this pro- 
cedure, we will analyze one drunkard, and find what the 
economic effect would be on him, or on the communi- 
ty, or upon the nation, provided a drunkard should by 
his own volition, suddenly become a temperance man. 

This process is fair, for if general and total prohibi- 
tion would ruin the country, certainly the prohibition of 
one man would have a proportionate effect on the 
Country. A drunkard is an utter destruction of God's 
crowning work, man. He has fallen from his high es- 
tate and has blotted out of his life the image of his 
Maker, and is only a stranded hulk, not able to help 
himself or any one else. What economic good is such 
a man, except to drink a little more beer as it is suppli- 
ed to him by some one who has money ? 



110 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



How much benefit is a dead man who needs alcohol 
to preserve his flesh? How much does the process of 
killing a man by feeding beer to him, add to the wealth 
of the country? Shame on the man or class of men who 
say that the financial stability of our country depends 
upon the number of drunkards we make, and the amount 
beer they drink. The Government should be ashamed 
to take revenue from injured women and children; for 
the revenue is paid by the drinkers, and not by the brew- 
ers, and the drinkers rob their families to pay it. 

By asking support of the brewers, the Government 
furnishes the brewers their strongest argument that they 
should be allowed to exist. The Rev. Sawyer preaches 
to sinners to save their souls, and lends his influence to 
maintain the saloon that destroys men's souls; and says 
that the saloon is better than prohibition, which means 
that it is better to drink alcoholic drinks than not to 
drink. 

For the purposes of this subject, it is not necessary to 
consider the process or various stages of his demoraliza- 
tion, but to confine our observations to the financial 
effects of the beer traffic on the man who drinks 
and on the community. We must assume that the man 
at first, was upright, otherwise we must confess that 
saloons were established and mantained for men who 
are not upright. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 111 



In the first drink the young man takes, he cuts the 
bond that holds him to perfect manhood, and takes his 
first step away from himself and enters the path that 
leads to the drnkard's grave. From day to day, he gets 
farther and farther away from himself, and is nearer 
to his destruction. Conscience, respectability, ambition, 
parental love and social friendship: all these several 
bonds that held him at first, have been broken, and he 
is constantly drawn by evil associates, and appetite, like 
the relentless forcee of gravity, down and down with 
ever increasing momentum. This change from the up- 
right man to the drunkard, was not accomplished with- 
out great loss. Time is money, and must be so consid- 
ered in economics. The greater part of a human life 
is wasted and no one is benefited by his loss. He spends 
his money and his life, and the brewer and the saloon- 
ist are benefited; the man loses life and soul. 
In consequence of the man's habits, his wife and child- 
ren suffer for lack of the necessities of life, and are 
prevented from taking their places in the social world 
which they otherwise would. 

Is it economy that a whole family should suffer, that 
brewers may get rich? 

We have considered only one man against one rum- 
seller, but there are many drunkards, and many fam- 
ilies to one saloonist. And whatever is true of one 



112 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



drunkard is true of all. Is it economy for, say fifty to 
lose all, that one soloonist may get rich ? Fifty upright 
men ruined, and fifty families made to suffer, that one 
rumseller may prosper? Is it economy that an indus- 
trious young man should become an idle drunkard for 
the small amount of revenue he pays to the Govern- 
ment ? The Government takes revenue on crime. 

We read in the New York Tribune of May 5th 1914, 
that "The Senate dipped its fingers into the bowl of 
righteousness and washed them of Mr. Rockefeller's 
money, offered to help carry on farm demonstration 
work in different parts of the country; because the blood 
of women and children was on the hands of his employes. 
According to the law of progression, the accumulation 
of great wealth, is the natural result of industry and effi 
ciency; and success in business should not be attributed 
to unfair means. But, while the Senate has its "fingers 
dipped in the bowl of righteousness," it would be in 
order to refuse to accept another dollar of revenue 
from a business that corrupts hundreds of thousands of 
men, and brings sorrow to thousands of innocent women 
children. 

Rev. Sawyer says prohibition would rob of its invest- 
ment over three billions of capital, the matter stands 
on its merits: if the business is evil the greater amount 
invested, the more harm is done. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 113 



If the saloon business is evil, the greater the magni- 
tude, the greater the need of abolishing it. 

Gamblers have as good reason to be left alone in the 
enjoyment of their business, because they have much 
money invested in gambling outfits; pirates may have 
much money invested in ships and guns, and if their 
business should be prohibited, many would be ''depriv- 
ed of the privilege of earning a living at their chosen 
trade" If this argument is good now, it will become 
stronger and stronger as time goes on, for, all the mon- 
ey the brewers make, they use to extend their business: 
like the spider it spins its web-trap to catch flies which 
it eats to spin more webs to catch more victems. The 
brewers would make the business perpetual. If there 
is any force in this argument, it certainly stands temper- 
ance workers in hand to take firmer grasp and throttle 
the monster before it grows larger and stronger. 

The brewers have over estimated their capital, and in 
making their estimates count the licenses they hold for 
the saloonists who have not the required amount of cash 
to pay for their licenses. These licenses are considered 
inventments in the business, whereas it is only money 
loaned, and when paid it is available surplus capital, 
We quote from a Newark paper, a commment which re- 
lates to this subject, "the investment in licenses." The 
comment is as follows: "It is a fair estimate that the 



114 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



holding down of saloon license to four hundred 
dollars a year in Newark causes the municipal treasury 
to lose more than one-hundred thousand dollars a year. 

Before the Houssling administration began opera- 
tions, Excise Commissioners appointed by Court, set 
the fee at five-hundred dollars. This reduction was 
brought about by the INFLUENCE OF BREWERS 
WHO OWN MORE THAN HALF OF THE SA- 
LOONS IN NEWARK. 

Mr. Sawyer says "prohibition would deprive a million 
of men of earniug their living at their chosen trade." 

In this estimate saloonists are counted in the number 
engaged at their chosen trade. In my own town there 
are, counting proprietors and bar-tenders, eight men en- 
gaged in the business, who might be thrown out of employ- 
ment if prohibition prevailed, but there are many times 
that number thrown out of work because of the saloons 
in the Borough. It would be much better for the 
Borough if the saloonists were all out of their present 
employment, and it would be much better for the idle 
victims if the saloons were out of existence. 
Abolish the saloons and the present victims would soon 
become so prosperous that they could furnish employ- 
ment to all bar-tenders and saloonists who might be 
thrown out by prohibition; and they would have the 
pleasure of earning an honest living. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 115 



Even if prohibition would throw the saloonist out of 
employment and he should not be able to find other 
employment, and in consequence, he and his family be 
obliged to subsist on charity, it would be better than 
that the many drunkards he makes should suffer in 
like manner. The argument of Rev. Sawyer in this re- 
spect applies to anything on earth, however wrong it 
may be. 

But suppose prohibition should prevail, and all now 
engaged in the business, brewers and saloonists should 
be thrown out of employment until they die, it would 
be only a few years when all would be dead and there 
would be no more to suffer for lack of occupation in 
this line of business: but reverse these conditions; let 
those engaged in the beer business, continue, and all 
the present great army of suffering victims would die, 
and this class would perpetuate itself. In the one case 
the abolition of the saloon might injure the few until 
death, which would end the suffering from this cause: 
while a continuance of the saloon would cause the suffer- 
ing of many until death, and a perpetuation of the same 
kind of suffering. The above argument applies only if 
worse comes to worst. Those employed in the beer 
business, both boewers and saloonists, are capable of 
placing themselves in other positions if prohibition de- 
prived them of their present chosen employment. 



116 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



This argument presented by the brewers through Rev. 
Sawyer is not applicable to the saloon question at all, 
for it is a question of right and wrong; and if wrong, 
no matter how many persons are engaged in the business, 
they should be thrown out. Economic arguments do 
not apply to questions of right and wrong. 

If it is right for a man to continue in a wicked busi- 
ness because he is in it, and because he has much mon- 
ey invested in the business, it is also right for any one 
to enter into a wicked business provided he has a large 
amount of money to invest. If a man is doing wrong, 
he has no more right to continue doing the wrong, 
than another has to begin to do wrong. 

Saloons Throw Men Out of Employment 

Because of the evil effects of the saloon business, hun- 
dreds of men are thrown out of business, mostly young 
men, and have made themselves ineligible to fill posi- 
tions of trust, and have cut themselves off from the 
most desirable opportunities a young man can have, an d 
they must be satisfied to act subordinate parts in life. 

Business men have come to the conclusion from ob- 
servation they have made, of the effects of alcoholic 
drinks that it is unsafe to employ any person who drinks 
alcoholic liquors even to a moderate degree. : 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 117 



Railroads and carrying companies whose business, as 
regulated by laws which make them responsible for 
the safety of their patrons, have discharged thousands of 
young men because of their habits of drinking, and all 
of these young men have made themselves ineligible 
for positions in this line of labor. 

The saloons are making havoc among men, yet the 
lawmakers perpetuate the saloons, and Rev. Sawyer 
says u the saloons have the best of the argument as a- 
gainst prohibition, on economic grounds. On this point 
we give the opinion of a noted Doctor, T. S. Crothers: 
U A vacancy occurred in a banking house in New York 
City. The salary was large and the position important. 

A young man from an inland city, with influential 
friends was suggested as a proper person to fill the place. 

A number of friends united in the warmest recom- 
mendations of his character and ability. Letters recom- 
mending him were sent to the bank, and he received a 
special request to call in to see the President. He was 
received with affability: and after a few minutes of con- 
versation was told that other arrangements had been 
made and the place was about to be given to another, 

He was shocked beyond measure, and went home 
greatly dissappointed. Intimate friends of the Presi- 
dent, who had warmly recommended him, wrote in- 
quiring why the place had been given to another man. 



118 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The answer came back: "we never employ men in our 
bank who come to us with alcoholic breaths." 

"Then it dawned on him that, feeling nervous before 
calling on the president, the young man had taken a 
glass of wine, supposing that it would steady his nerves 
and make him more presentable." 

"This instance," continues the docter, "may be dupli- 
cated in business circles and shows clearly that basiness 
men recognize total abstinance as one of the essentials 
for good work in all departments." "The best brains, 
the clearest intellect and the most perfect command of 
the faculties, are required in the work of to-day, and 
any thing less than this is inviting disaster. There is no 
theory in this or sentiment. It is hard, bitter experience 
which the business world is learning and learning rap- 
idly. Business, like science has no cnncern with tradi- 
tions of the food and stimulant value of alcohol." 

Business men of all classes and grades condemn the 
the saloon, and doctors of high standing condemn the 
use of alcoholic drinks, ministers of the Gospel also 
cndemn the use of alcoholic drinks as a hindrance to 
the developement of individual character, and to the 
growth of Christianity. Even some saloons will not em- 
ploy a bartender unless he is a total abstainer. 

A noted surgeon was called to attend a man who 
had met with an accident, but not seriously injured. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 119 



The writer had occasion to call upon the injured man, 
and also to see the surgeon. The surgeon said that 
the man's injuries were not necessarily dangerous, but 
the man was in the habit of drinking beer and it was 
impossible to tell how the habit might aggravate the inju- 
ries. The surgeon said that he dreaded to take a case 
of a person injured so that an operation was necessary, 
if the injured person was a user of alcohol to any degree. 

This surgeon was not actively interested in prohibi- 
tion, but spoke from a professional standpoint, and 
without reference to saloons. Every one can see the 
evils of the saloon except the lawmakers and the brewers. 

The Newspapers have been full of comments up- 
on the epidemic of fires. Investigation has shown that 
many of the fires have been caused by wicked persons 
for ths purpose of obtaining insurance. There is no 
doubt that the careless handling of fire by helpless 
or quarrelsome intoxicated persons caused many fires 
and the destruction of millions of dollars worth of prop- 
erty, all of which is chargable to alcoholic drinks. 

We quote from St. Petersburg report just published 
by the Minister of the Interior to the effect that from 
1895 to 1910 there were more than a million fires in 
European Russia, over two millions eight-hundred houses 
destroyed, and damage to the amount of seven hundred 
and fifty millions of dollars. 



120 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The chief cause of the epidemic according to official 
reports, is the careless handling of fires, WHICH IS 
CONNECTED WITH THE INCREASE OF DRUNK- 
ENESS. And yet Rev. Sawyer, and the brewers say 
that on economic grounds, the saloons have the best of 
the argument. 

A Market For Grain. 

Rev. Sawyer, says practical prohibition, would deprive 
the farmer of a market for grain that would require a 
territory equal to two states to supply the required a- 
mount. Let us take this statement as the truth. We be- 
lieve much of the grain of the country is diverted 
from its legitimate use and that this large portion is 
consumed entirely by beer drinkers. Allowing these 
same drinkers to eat their portion of grain that is not 
used for beer, and they have much more than their 
share of the grain products. They drink a large por- 
tion in the form of beer, and eat their portion of bread. 
This great waste of grain makes the loaf of bread 
smaller, and every bread eater is affected, and this is 
one cause of the high cost of living. 

If the brewers did not use so much grain, the farmer 
would find market for all of his grain, and the drunk- 
ard's family would be well fed. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 121 



And if the father did not drink beer he would be 
in condition to buy as much as his family would need. 
But this would deprive the Government of revenue, 
and the brewers of their gains. 



122 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



An Incident In Rev. Sawyer's Life. 

Rev. Sawyer, says prohibition does not properiy value 
the saloon as a social institution for the working classes. 

He says the saloon is the working man's club, and 
continues: "any man who has gone into a town in a work- 
ing man's garb with a week's beard on his face, with 
little money in his pocket and no friends, knows the 
saloon as the worker's club." 

We mention this in connection with Rev. Sawyer's argu- 
ment, but refrain from comment on it, as we wiil cover 
these points in another article, and to our thinking, it 
will be more appropriate in that article than in this, as 
it will be in reply to the same arguments by a man high- 
er up in ecclesiastical standing. We will, however, notice 
an incident in the life of Rev. Sawyer that brought him 
to the conclusion that the saloon is the working man's 
club. This incident is important as an argument for the 
reason that it is based an fact, while the balance of his 
argument is only theory, it would appear that pre- 
vious to this incident Rev. Sawyer had no knowledge of 
the saloon, or he would not have looked so long for a 
place to ieave his bundle; nor would he have "timidly 
approached the saloon." He says that once when he 
was moving from one parish to another, he drove a 
team over the road and he looked a little rough; 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 123 



he had a bundle to leave for a little while as he was 
passing through Boston, and tried several places, and 
found none and he became discouraged and at last he 
went into a saloon, where he found a place to leave his 
bundle. In the course of business we have visited 
saloons and have made observations which have en- 
abled us to know something of the customs and practice 
of the saloon. Any man is welcome in a saloon, no 
matter how long since he shaved, or how poor his clothes 
are, provided he drinks beer. 

Every saloon has its slop-jars or loungers, with no 
money, but a good appetite, and always ready to drink 
when some one with money and generosity offers to 
treat, and it makes no difference to the saloonist who 
pays for the beer nor whose stomach it goes into. 

I have also noticed that a man having a bundle to be 
placed in safe keeping, may have it placed behind a 
beer barrel in a saloon, as it is evidence that the man 
who leaves it will call again to get it, and is security for 
what the owner may order. 

I have also observed that a man seldom asks a favor 
of a saloonist without first asking for something to drink, 
and it is quite natural to ask for another drink if the 
man thinks that the saloon is better than prohibiten. 

I have further observed that the man who goes into 
a saloon must make his visit short if he has no business, 



124 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



or does not pay for drinks or cigars, or receive treats 
from others. 



Human Longing. 



Rev. Sawyer's third proposition is that "Prohibition 
does not properly consider the natural human longing 
for something soothing and stimulating." u Of all 
devices men have sought out, beer is the least harmful 
to the race." 

To prove this proposition it necessary to admit that the 
use of alcoholic drinks by generation after generation, 
has a hereditary effect upon the present generation. 

If this be true, it is high time that some thing should 
be done to check the use of alcohol, or the hered- 
itary longing will be intensified in the next generation, 
and it will be only a few generations before our nation 
will be a nation of drunkards, weak minded and de- 
generate. 

Rev. Sawyer, in comparing beer with other drinks, 
makes his comparison diminutively, and make the harm- 
fulness of beer the least of all alcoholic drinks; but re- 
versing the form of comparison, he makes beer POS^ 
1TIVELY harmful. The brewers, all in like manner, 
admit that beer is harmful. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 125 



If this is true, he has given a strong argument 
against the saloon. 
Saloons are licensed, not only to sell beer, but strong- 
er liquors, and it is only a matter of taste or choice 
what a man will drink when he has both, beer and 
stronger liquors to choose from. 

Rev. Sawyer, in his arguments, extols the merits 
of beer; and on its merits he has concluded that the 
saloon, as against prohibition, has the best of the ar- 
gument, and has overlooked stronger drinks that are 
sold in the saloon which make the saloon an unfit place 
for the poor man's club. 

Before a man can honestly argue the harmlessness 
of the saloon on the merits of beer, he must remove 
from the saloon, all stronger drinks. The brewers con- 
demn all stronger liquors, yet they maintain the saloon 
with all the evils that are caused by stronger drinks. 

Rev. Sawyer does not say whether this longing of the 
human race is caused by the use of beer or by stronger 
drinks; but if caused by stronger drinks, we may be 
sure that beer will not satisfy that longing, if he drinks 
it in a saloon where stronger drinks are to be had. 

But beer will give a desire for stronger liquors. 

We agree with Rev. Sawyer in his statement that 
the effects of drinking habits of the parents will be 
seen, in some form or another, in their offspring, 



126 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



but not so much in the appetite as in mental and physic- 
al defects. We do not believe that one boy in a hundred 
has a natural appetite for alcoholic drinks, or that he 
has a natural longing for something soothing or stim- 
ulating. He may be physically weak and defective in 
power to resist temptation which causes him to yield 
to influences and desire for pleasure, which might be 
heredity, but not appetite. 

Alcohol will remain in the body of him who drinks, 
a long time, but it does not seem possible that it should 
impart to the unborn babe, an appetite for alcohol un- 
less it is through intemperate habits of the mother. 

Be this as it may, the argument is all against the sa- 
loon. If the saloons are all abolished and no one per- 
mitted to sell, the boys of this generation will have no 
chance to indulge in drinking, and in the next generation 
the chain of heredity will be broken, and from that 
time on, the reasons advanced by Rev. Sawyer will not 
be applicable to the new conditions. So, if it be true 
that the human race has a longing for something 
"soothing and stimulating" as Rev. Sawyer says, it is 
very conclusive argument that the saloon should be a- 
bolished 

We have often heard men say "some men have al- 
ways drank and they always will," which is in substance 
and meaning the same as Rev. Sawyer's statement 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 127 



that men have a longing for something stimulating, but 
there is no logic or truth in either proposition. 

Boys, as a rule, begin their habit of drinking, at the 
age of sixteen to twenty and continue until they die, 
unless they reform; every individual begins his own 
course and ends it. There is no connection, one with 
the other, nor with those who have lived before him. 

The only connection between those who have gone 
before us and ourselves, is the saloon, which those who 
who have gone before have established to curse us. 

Boys are initiated into the ways of the saloon, through 
the influence of their friends who have, themselves, 
been initiated; so the saloons and social influence have 
been perpetuated from generation to generation. 

The same bar, the same strong drinks, the same mix- 
ed conditions, the same influences, and temptations 
have existed for generations. One of the most danger- 
ous influences that causes a young man to begin a ca- 
rear in the bar-room, is the teachings of ministers of the 
Gospel who say that the saloon, with all of its evils, is 
better than prohibition. We cannot give further atten- 
tion to Rev. Sawyer's arguments in defence of the sa- 
loon, but if we failed to notice this, the chief argument 
of the brewers, we might be misunderstood, that we did 
not because we could not answer them. 



128 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



If saloons are things of evil, a curse to the land, a 
destroyer of men's bodies and souls, there is no argu- 
ment that has a grain of weight in favor of them. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLEJCONFLICT 129 

CHAPTER XVI 

Hypocrisy of Prohibition. 

We regret that it becomes necessary to use the name 
of one who has departed this life leaving behind him a 
great name; a man who occupied a high position in the 
Church. 

"Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, for they 
rest from their labor and their works do follew them." 

It is possible for a man to live a devout, Christian 
life and do much good, and so far as the heart is con- 
cerned, live a perfect life, and yet be in error on mat- 
ters of judgment. 

Because Bishop Potter was a man of high intellectu- 
al and moral character, and had great influence, and 
was so well known, we are obliged to use his name in 
replying to his arguments which, however well meant, 
gave great comfort and encouragement to the enemy, 
the brewers and saloonists. These arguments have been 
echoed throughout the camps of the enemy and have 
caused great rejoicing because a great leader in the 
Church "was with them." 

In the estimation of the brewers, the importance of 
of the argument is in the greatness of the author, and 
it is for this reason we are obliged to reply to it. 

These same sentiments expressed by Bishop Potter, 



130 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



have been expressed by the brewers and the saloonists 
but have lacked the force of high authority. We quote 
New York Sun of May 27th, 1909. "Bishop Henry C. 
Potter, after having been introduced to the congregation 
preached on the futility of attempting t* reform society 
by legal enactments". The bishop then continued: "'How 
then shall we bring to pass the results which we all 
desire ? Shall we do it by new laws ? Can you do 
it by the attempt to suppress absolutely the vice which 
you wish to conquer ? For example, what has prohibi- 
tion done for the suppression of intemperance, 
in those states where prohibition has been attempted?" 

4 T recall crossing Lake Champlain from Vermont to 
New York and back in the Summer, and I was often 
gtruck by the large number of drunken men who sailed 
on the boat in the afternoon, from the New York to 
to the Vermont side of the harbor. In other words, the 
prohibition laws of Vermont made THE SALE OF 
LIQUOR IMPOSSIBLE and so these men crossed to 
New York and sailed home drunk." 

"The evils also remain in those prohibition states un- 
suppressed, and, alas that it should be said, the effect 
has been in some states to change a commonwealth of 
drunkards to a commonwealth of hypocrisy." 
I understand the word hypocrisy, to mean the pretense 
to do, or to be what one does aot, or is not. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 131 



Bishop Potter says it was impossible to obtain liquor 
because the law was against its sale 

If this is true there certainly was no hypocrisy, and 
the Bishop's illustration disproves his statement. The 
State of Vermont did not pretend to prevent men from 
drinking in New York; it only tried to prevent the sale 
of liquor in the State of Vermont; and, as bishop Potter 
says, it was impossible to get liquor in Vermont, there 
certainly was no hypocrisy. If New York had passed 
prhibition laws and enforced them, as Vermont did 
these thirsty men would have found it more difficult to 
get drinks on Sunday. We do not quite understand 
how bishop Potter could have made such a blunder. 

The bishop also seconds the claims of the brewers, and 
advocates the saloon, when at another time, he called 
the saloon the "Poor Man's Club." I am not familiar with 
rich man's club, but I do know something of the saloon. 

If bishop Potter knows the character of both, the 
saloon and the rich man's club, he must take one of 
two propositions: either the rich man's club is as bad as 
the saloon, or the poor man is not worthy of as good 
a club as the rich man is. The bishop must have an 
exalted opinion of tbe saloon or a degraded opinion of 
the poor man. If the rich man's club is as bad as the 
saloon, it ought to be abolished. The term "Club" de- 
notes nothing. Thieves and Thugs have clubs. 



132 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



We have the sentiments of two ministers of the Gos- 
pel who are strong advocates of the saloon, both have 
used the same arguments that the brewers use and both 
have failed to speak one word against the saloon, or of 
the evil results of drinking beer. Rev. Sawyer did 
mention one good thing in favor of the saloon: they 
afford a convenient place to leave a bundle once in a 
life time. A rattlesnake's skin makes a nice pocket- 
book, but it is not wise to keep a den of rattlesnakes for 
sake of a pocketbook. The rattlesnake is of no use alive. 

These two ministers have out-done the brewers, for 
the brewers, in their convention, deplored the fact that 
evils had grown around the business like weeds. 

We are not surprised that the brewers should defend 
their business, but we are surprised that ministers of 
the Gospel who were call to a better work should ad- 
vocate an evil to mankind. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 133 

CHAPTER XVII 

Clarence Darrow. 

To give our opponents full advantage of the argu- 
ments and eloquencse of their most noted advocates, we 
quote from a twenty-four-page booklet issued by the 
Manufacturers and Merchants Association of New Jer- 
sey. 

The New England Union Label League arranged for 
an address by Clarence S. Darrow, of Chicago. 

This address was delivered in New Bedlord, Mass., 
for the purpose of changing the city from "dry" to 
wet 

Mr. Darrow's Subject was 

Liberty vs. Prohibition. 

The subject did not indicate the line of argument, he 
simply rideculed prohibition because it deprived men of 
their liberty. He is so sure of carrying the sympathies 
of his audience on another line of argument, says to his 
audience: "I do not believe that alcohol is a food, nor 
do I believe that the human system needs alcohol in 
any form, but it is for the liberty of each man to drink 
if he wants to, that I plead." 

We quote in part as follows: 



134 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Now there are two or three things in the beginning 
that I want to speak about I am not interested in 
whether you are going to sell more goods in New Bed- 
ford with whiskey or without it. I don't care a cent for 
that kind of argument. I don't live here and I don't 
think if I did live here I would be influenced by any 
such consideration. If drinking beer is in the catagory 
of cutting throats and burglarzing houses, then you 
ought to be ashamed to make money out of it, and 
you ought to go prohibition evea if the grass grows in 
the streets. I don't care whether you get rich or get 
poor because of drink, and I don't think any self-respect- 
ing man ought to care whether you get rich or you 
get poor because of it. If it is a business that fairly and 
justly comes within the criminal code, then you can't 
excuse yourself by getting money out of it, neither the 
city nor the nation. The nation ought not to get revenue 
and the city ought not to get reveue, and business men 
ought not to get money out of it, if drinking beer is 
like cutting throats and burglarizing houses. On the 
other hand, if it is not, if it is a part of my liberty 
whieh I should defend: and when people stop defending 
their liberty, it is gone; then it does not make much 
difference whether we lose money out of it or don't 
lose mnney out of it; I ought to stand for the simple 
right to manage my own affairs, to eat and drink what 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 135 



I please without calling a town meeting to decide on 
the bill of fare." 

The above quotation is all of Mr. Darrow's talk on 
the question of temperance or the saloon, the balance 
of his talk was in the line of socialistic sentiment. He 
marshals before his hearers all the evils of the world, 
disease, poverty, accident and all the ills that flesh is 
heir to; cuts at the government for not making safety 
devices to prevent injury and not providing for men 
that they may have nothing to do but BE INDE- 
PENDENT and enjoy perfect liberty. He eloquently 
shows that prohibitionists ought to be helping to 
better the condition of these badly used men, and not 
try to deprive them of the liberty to drink if they want 
to. 

The Government and the several states are working 
hard to make safety devices for the protection of those 
whose occupation call them in dangerous places: but the 
same governments are establishing and maintaining the 
saloons that cause more of the ills enumerated by Mr. 
Darrow, than any other cause. 

Wise business concerns consider it unsafe to have 
a man who drinks occupy a position of responsibility for 
fear he may injure himself or some one else, or 
the business. But ordinary workmen rush out of the 
saloon and without fear or care rush into danger. 



136 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The occasion of this address at New Bedford was to 
make sentiment in favor of a u wet" town; and the 
speaker appealed to the sentiments nearest the hearts of 
his hearers, and the town went ' wet' two weeks later. 

In trying to ridecule the prohibitinists, Mr. Darrow 
said "It was a pity that God could not have had the 
advantage of the advice of the prohibitionists, when He 
made the world, and perhaps alcohol would not have 
been made," 

If this lofty speech is argument, it is argument against 
the use of alcohol, in-as-much-as God did not make alco- 
hol. Chemistry teaches us that there is not a particle 
of alcohol found free in anything that God has made. 

We may analyze the substances from which alcohol 
is made and not find an atom of alcohol. 

Alcohol is made by the destruction of substances that 
were made for better use. We are almost ashamed 
to take up this address, but the brewers have put their 
stamp of approval on it and sent it out as argument, 
we are obliged to notice it. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 137 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

"We Do Not Haul Men Into The Saloon." 

The saloonist justifies himself in his work, by two 
arguments: "I am empowered by the state, to sell;" "I 
never go out into the streets to haul people in, there- 
fore, it is the lawmaker's fault that I sell, and the drink- 
er's fault that he comes in." 

We pass over the first reason without comment, but 
note incidentally, that the saloonist agrees with what 
we have been trying to show, that the lawmakers are 
to blame for the saloons, and all the harm they do. 

By his anxiety to throw the blame on the lawmakers, 
he confesses that the business is harmful. 

The saloonist would make it appear that the lawmak- 
ers are wicked, and that the drinkers are wicked, and 
the judge is wicked, and the saloonist is the only inno- 
cent one of the lot. 

It may be true that the saloon man does not lay vi- 
olent hands upon a person, and haul him in by physic- 
al force, but he does, by various means, decoy the 
victim in. 

A man not caring or intending to enter a saloon, would 
undoubtedly resist any violence to force him into the 



138 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



saloon, and the saloon man knows this and resorts to 
some more gentle means of getting him in. 

There are hundreds of ways to entice men into the 
saloon and it is unnecessary to haul them in. 

Here is an instance to illustrate one of the many 
ways: For a number of years, my business called ne 
to a little town in New Jersey where there is only one 
hotel. The infrequency of trains made it necessary to 
wait about four hours for a train. I passed my waiting 
time after dinner, in the bar-room of the hotel, and I 
made it my business to become acquainted with the ways 
and methods peculiar to the bar-room and the saloon 
business. 

On one occasion, a farmer drove into town and stop- 
ped in front of the iiotei, he had two bags of potatoes 
in his wagon, for sale. The landlord was sitting on 
the front porch of the hotel, and the farmer asked him 
to buy the potatoes. The landlord went to the wagon 
and examined the potatoes and agreed on the price, 
and told the farmer to carry the bags down cellar by 
the outside door. After the farmer had carried the po- 
tatoes to the cellar and had returned, the landlord, while 
standing on the ground, asked the farmer to go into 
the bar-room to get his pay for the potatoes, and when 
they reached the bar the landlord went behind it and 
paid for the potatoes with money he took from his 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 139 

POCKET. By the time the farmer had received his 
money there were a dozen or more who had been loung- 
ing about the room, stepped up to the bar, and one of 
them said "are we not in this?" 

It is an unwritten law in that saloon, as it is in many 
saloons, that he who receives money from behind the bar, 
shall treat the crowd. The farmer did treat the crowd, 
and the landlord took a costly cigar which he put in 
his vest pocket and afterwards put in the box it was 
taken from, to sell again. It was unnecesary for the 
landlord to call the farmer into the bar-room, as he 
paid for the potatoes with money which he took from 
his pocket; the only object for calling him in was to 
place the farmer under such circumstance that he could 
not refuse to treat, without embarrassment. But, the 
landlord did not haul him into the bar-room, but he did 
a meaner thing; his act was a pretense that he had no 
money in his pocket, and his object was to bring the 
farmer under the influence of the loungers in the bar- 
room that he might put some of the farmer's money in 
his own pocket. 

On another occasion this same landlord was sitting on 
his porch, at the end farthest from the bar entrance, 
and seeing a man on the sidewalk, who had passed the 
entrance, called out in his most hearty voice, "hello John, 
old boy, how are you?" The landlord reached out his hand 



140 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



towards the man and walked along the porch and met 
him at the foot of the steps leading him by the hand 
up the steps and into the room and did not let go of 
the man's hand until they reached the bar, where they 
stood and talked a short time when the man treated 
the crowd, and went away. There are many ways to get 
a man iato the saloon without hauling him in by force. 

Admitting that the rumseller does not haul his victim 
in by force, and aside from the fact that many induce- 
ments are held out by the rumseller, there are sufficient 
reasons why the above means are unnecessary. 

The patrons of the saloons are divided into three 
classes; the drunkard, the moderate drinker and the 
occasional drinker. As to the first class, the drunkard, 
the appetite he has formed is incentive enough, so that 
physical force is not necessary to take him into the sa- 
loon and his own moral force is not strong enough to 
keep him out. 

He has been in so many times that he enters by force 
of habit, but he has formed his habit by yielding to 
influences that are common to the moderate drinker and 
to the occasional drinker. 

The moderate drinker, because he is not yet a drunk- 
ard, thinks that the saloon is harmless, as he has not 
yet felt the harmful effects; and when he does feel any 
harmful effects he intends to stop drinking, but 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 141 

he passes from the moderate drinker to the sot, then 
there is no need of physical force to draw him into the 
saloon. 

The third class; the occasional drinker, is a younger 
man, who has warm friends in the class of moderate 
drinkers, who invite him into the bar-room and initiate 
him into the social element of the saloon. The young 
initiate does not realize that the drunkard started at the 
same point; he looks only at his friend, the moderate 
drinker. 

The drink, as soon as it has entered his stomach begins 
its deadly work, and every drink increases his desire for 
more. If the first drink hurts him, he is hurt, but if 
the first drink does not hurt him, he is sure to take an- 
other because the first one did not hurt him, and still 
another until the occasional drinker becomes a moderate 
drinker and the moderate drinker becomes a drunkard. 



142 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Alcohol a Preserver. 

One of the stray bits of argument presented by 
moderate drinkers more to justify themselves in their 
use of alcoholic drinks than to convince others, that 
alcohol preserves the health of the physical system, and 
they try to prove it by the fact that alcohol will pre- 
vent the decay of flesh that is put in it, and therefore 
it prevents the decay of the human flesh. 
This sounds good and reasonable at a glance, but when 
we look into it a little deeper, we find that because of 
the fact that alcohol will prevent the decay of flesh, is 
proof that it is injurious to the human system. 

The healtk of the body depends upon the perfect 
action of two laws. The law of nutrition and the law of 
decay. If either of these laws is suspended, the system 
will be impaired; and the law of decay is as necessary 
as the law of nutrition. Nutrition supplies the body day 
by day, and the law of decay removes the waste matter, 
and by the well balanced action of these two laws, 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 143 



the flesh of the body is kept new, from year to year. 

Stop the law of nutrition, and let the law of decay 
keep on with its action, and the body wastes and death 
would soon result. Or let the action of the law of decay 
be suspended, and the body would become full of 
dead matter, and death would soon result. 

The healthy body needs the well balanced action of 
these two laws, nutrition and decay, and if alcohol de- 
stroys the action of either of these two laws, it is nut 
not good for the body. 



144 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Law as it is in Hoboken. 

If any farther proof of the insincerity of the lawmakers 
is needed, it is found in the character of the laws. 

These laws are made with such an element of incon- 
eistency and flexibility that a judge in trying a case of 
violation of the excise laws, may twist and misrule to 
defeat justice, knowing that his rulings are not sub- 
ject to appeal to a higher court. 

We clip the following from the New York Press, of 
January 9th, 1908, which is in substance, as follows: 

The police of Hoboken, N. J. arrested 150 saloon 
keepers for failure to have their screeas drawn on Sun- 
day. These saloonkeepers were brought before Recorder 
McGovern, who called upon one saloonkeeper named 
William J. Heiman, who was defended by Horris L. 
Allen, counsel for the Hoboken Inn and Tavernkeeper's 
Association. 

The Recorder ruled that the mere proof that the 
screens were up is insufficient in order to make a case 
against the defendant. 

The complainant must show that the place in question 
does not come within the exceptions mentioned in the 
act. 



THE (IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 145 



It devolves upon the complainant to to show violation 
of the act, and this has not been done. The above is 
the ruling of Recorder McGovern in this case which was 
dismissed, and so were the 149 others on the same 
grounds. 

It appears that the laws relating to screens do no apply 
to certain places. The Recorder mentioned the following 
as exceptions: Inns and Tavern s having ten rooms for 
the accommodation of travelers, "regularly incorporated 
clubs occupying an entire building, recreation grounds 
and places having bowling alleys. 

The procedure in this case shows the inconcistency of 
the laws. 

The law made it the duty of the policeman to arrest 
the proprietor of a saloon for not having the window 
screens drawn. It also prevented his entering the sa- 
loon to search it without a warrant, but according to 
the Recorder the policeman must count the rooms with- 
out seeing them and to tell what the rooms were used 
for without knowing. The policeman was in no sense a 
complainant, but a witness that the screens were not as 
the law required and to make the arrest, and there his 
duty ended. The Recorder's ruling made the law of no 
effect 

Policemen are not supposed to know whether these 
saloonkeepers were exceptions to the laws or not; 



146 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



if they were exempt from the law, there was a record 
of the fact to which the Recorder could have referred: 
or if these persons who were arrested were exceptions 
under any of the terms of the law, it was their right to 
prove themselves exempt. The Recorder could not 
regard the policeman as the complinant and at the same 
time make it his duty to defend the defendant. 

There were one hundred and fifty accused saloonmen, 
one recorder and one attorney, the counsel for the Inn 
and Tavernkeepers Association; and the men higher up, 
what could the poor Recorder do ? If he had done 
otherwise, it would have caused his political death. 
If the Legislature makes laws to prevent policemen go- 
ing into houses without a warrant, and at the same 
time compel him to count the number of rooms in a 
house without entering it and compel him to make ar- 
rests, and then compel him to defend the party arrested, 
then we must conclude that the majority of the mem- 
bers of the Legislature intentionally make laws that 
are unenforceable. We cannot accuse the lawmakers of 
ignorance for the laws they make are so cunningly 
favorable to the brewers. 



THE IR&EPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 147 

CHAPTER XXI. 
The Canteen. 



From The New York Tribune of December 4th 1912, 
we quote a part of General Wood's Annual report as fol- 
lows: "The great majority of officers of the army are of 
the opinion that the re-establishment of the canteen, 
under proper supervision to improve the health, disci- 
pline and efficiency of the service, through dismissing 
intemperanee, and immorality, I concur in this opinion." 

At first sight it would appear that Gereral Wood was 
in favor of the canteen as a desirable thing in the army, 
and beneficial to the health of the soldiers; but this is 
not his sentiment. He feels that the free indulgence 
in the use of liquors causes these evils, and that the can- 
teen if properly supervised, would, to some extent bet- 
ter the conditions; that is, he chooses he less of the two 
evils. No doubt, he is right in a sense; the evils would 
be reduced in proportion to the limitation of its use. 

General Wood is interested in maintaing an army 
in such condition as will enable it to defend the country 



148 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



from the attacks of foreign foes, and while the Govern- 
ment is maintaining, at a great expense, a large army, 
building and equipping forts and providing rations, cloth- 
ing and pay for service; at the same time the states 
and territories where these armies are located establish 
saloons and license men to sell rum and beer to the 
soldiers to destroy their efficiency. The civil institutions 
of the country destroying the military defences. 

Some fortifications, built where springs of water are 
depended upon for the supply of water for drinking and 
cooking, the springs are covered over with stone or 
cement work, to prevent the enemy poisoning the water, 
and the water is brought through under-ground pipes, 
into the fortification. We have here a condition that 
make more danger from our friends than from our en- 
imies; for the danger of being poisened by the enemy 
is very remote while the saloon is sure to poison and 
this condition, with its evils is established by law and 
a certain percentage of the money paid by the soldier 
for the alcohol he drinks, helps to pay the soldier's wages. 

General Wood is interested in the welfare of his 
soldiers and their efficiency, but has no power in the 
matter outside of the army, and has no authority to in- 
terfere with the saloon, so he must do the next best 
thing, which, to his way of thinking, is the canteen 
with proper supervision. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 149 



The business men of the country are dismissing from 
their employ those who hold important positions if they 
are in the habit of drinking, as they are not considered 
safe for the business, but General Wood would intro- 
duce drunkeness into the army, to a certain degree. 

A drunken soldiers may be brave, but reckless, and 
he may bring disaster to himself and to the company 
to which he belongs. The Government, beause of Gen. 
Wood's recommend, may restore the canteen, and it may 
have the much desired effect; but a better way would 
be to abolish the saloons. The canteen under proper 
supervision might improve the health and morals of the 
soldiers, but the practice of moderate drinking would 
cultivate an appetite for strong drink, and when the 
soldiers have served their term of enlistment, and all 
restraint is removed, they vwll indulge their appetites 
and spend the remainder of their days in "in temperance 
and immorality/' as General Wood says. 

It is right that these young soldiers, after having serv- 
ed their conutry for a number of years, should return 
to civil life with honors due defenders of their country; 
and that they should be able to take up their civil pur- 
suits, with uncorrupted appetites and uncorruped morals. 

It would be a shame that these soldiers who had been 
invincible before the foreign foe, should be conquered 
by the aaloons, the foe of mankind. 



150 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



General Wood's request for the re-establishment of 
the canteen, is that the saloons destroy the health, dis- 
cipline and efficiency of the soldiers, and thus weaken 
the defences of the country. What is the sense of mak- 
ing and manning fortifications to resist a foreign foe, 
and let in a deadlier foe in form of intoxicating drinks 
to attack the men of the fort? 

A man who had been a hard drinker for many years 
was, by some means, appointed constable of a town in 
New Jersey. A year after his appointment, he was in- 
vited by a friend whom the constable had not seen 
for a number of years, to take a drink. The constable 
refused to drink, and turning back his coat displayed a 
constable's badge, and said to his friend "do you see 
that? When I put that badge there and put a pistol in 
my pocket, I swore that as long as that badge is there 
I would not drink a drop of alcohol," "A badge on my 
vest, a gun in my pocket and alcohol in my stomach, 
make a dangerous combination." This man was not 
educated, but he had wisdom that he had gained by 
experience. There may come a time when Gen. Wood 
will find that guns in the hands of thousands of intox- 
icated soldiers will prove a dangerous combination. 



THEilRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 151 



The Parcel Post 

The Parcel Post system was inaugurated for the pur- 
pose of making exchange of commodities in order to re- 
duce the cost of living. Merchandise, clothing, food &c. 
subject to limitation of weight, and safety to other 
matter in the mail, are admissible. 

Post Master General Hitchcock has excluded spiritu- 
ous, vinous, malted and fermented and other intoxicat- 
ing liquors of any kind, and has classified these articles 
with poisons, and has experssed his sentiments as to 
these articles being food or necessities of life, this he 
could do acting in his department of state. 

General Wood and Postmaster Hitchcock, both occu- 
pying high positions, have expressed their sentiments on 
the drink question, and each has done what he could in 
his respective department to limit the evils of intem- 
perance. 

The recent gathering of soldiers at Getty sberg, where 
the greatest battle of modern times was fought fifty 
years ago, after enduring the fatigue of a long journey 
from different parts of the country, endured the dis- 
comforts of the camp for a number of days, in extreme- 
ly hot weather, without the use of alcoholic drinks. 

This should rebuke the clamor of young men of the 
army, for alcoholic drinks. 



152 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



These same veterans who met at gettysberg, fifty years 
ago and fought the greatest battle of a five years' war 
without the aid of alcohol, and the young men of to-day 
either in or out of the army, should be ashamed to con- 
fess that alcoholic drinks are necessary to complete 
the physical manhood that they were created with. 

General wood, in his request to restore the canteen 
to the army had a purpose of reducing the evils of the 
drink habits of his soldiers. His hope was that the 
canteen, under supervision would be better than the free 
unrestrained use of alcoholic drinks. 

He makes it plain that the use of alcoholic drinks 
destroys the health and efficiency of the soldiers, and 
makes them immoral 

No doubt this is true of every soldier who drinks; and 
if true of soldiers, it is also true of every person who 
drinks, in the army or out of it, and every person who 
drinks is to a degree, injuring his health, and destroying 
his efficieney, not only as a soldier, but as a perfect 
man in any other occupation or calling. 

Life Insuranee companies whose business is based on 
the condition of health and expectation of life, regard 
the drinker as an undesirable risk. Railroad managers 
have observed the same effects of alcoholic drinks that 
General Wood has, and thousands have been dismissed 
because alcoholic drinks have made them inefficient 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 153 

and soon a large portion of our young men will be un- 
able to find positions to earn their living, and this drink- 
ing habit with which General Wood connects immoral- 
ity and loss of health, will produce a condition when the 
young men will not be able to support themselves or 
to take the responsibility of a family upon themselves, 
and they will be in such a state of want and incapacity, 
that their necessities in connection with their tainted 
morals will cause them to satisfy their wants in dishon- 
est ways, and they will be troublesome to the country. 

If it is true that drinking habits destroy the the effi- 
ciency of young men in the army, it follows that the 
same cause will produce the same effect upon those who 
are not in the army, and the consequence will be, when 
the country needs efficient men to defend it against 
a foreign foe, it will discover the mistake of allowing 
saloons, which cause inefficiency, to exist. 

General Wood speaks as though he referred to tke 
soldiers of the ranks and file, but history, written 
and unwritten, records the fact that many commands 
given by officers while under the influence of alcoholic 
drinks, have caused great disaster and there is as much 
danger from this portion of the army as there is from 
the rank and file. 

It is very plainly to be seen that every saloon in the 
United States, and there are thousands of them, is an 



154 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



institution to destroy the morals, the health and the 
efficiency of the young men upon whom the country 
depends for its defence and a judge in every county 
of the license-granting states is busy establishing these 
institutions. 

Granting a license in a small village seems to be a small 
local affair, but every county has its agents. The brewers 
have general agents with the title of Judge, to ap- 
point sub-agents, with the title of saloonist; so that the 
whole country is covered with saloons, and the matter 
becomes of national importance; and the whole nation 
must suffer for tke acts of local judges. The power of 
the judge comes from the lawmakers and the Gov- 
ernor of the state. So we see the lawmakers and the 
governors of all the license-granting state* are working 
against the Country. We are sorry to say that a large 
portion of government officers are with the state officials. 
We know that the states, and the general Government 
and hundreds of thousands of citizens are injured: who 
are benefited beside the brewers ? Let him who knows, 
answer. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 155 

CHAPTER XXIL 

The Political Vintage. 

Following the trend of events, for the last few weeks, 
we find great activity of interested persons throughout 
the country, in the question of temperance, either for 
or against it. 

The Legislature of New York has been considering a 
proposition to make an amendment to the law, to per- 
mit the establishing of a saloon within two hundred 
feet of a private school, provided the proprietor of the 
school shall give his consent: See Daily Tribune of 
Feb. 28, 1913. 

This proposition was favorably passed upon by the 
Assembly. The Senate and the Governor only, stand 
between the Assembly and the enactment of the propos- 
ed amendment. At the present writing, there is no 
conjecture of what the outcome will be; undoubtedly 
the members of the Senate will be subject to the same 
influences as the members of the Assembly were, but it 
is hoped that they msy be able to rssist. 

It is evident that the members of the Assembly did 
not consider the sentiment of the state, and they cannot 
fall back on the usual defence, "popular sentiment de- 
manded it." 



156 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



No more than one out of ten thousands could be ben- 
efited by the enactment of such a law, and not one of 
a thousand knows of the effort to pass it. 

So very few there are who could be benefited by it, 
that it would seem to be a special law for a special indi- 
vidual, covered up by a pretense of a public benefit. 

The assembly at Albany has worked in the interest of 
the rumsellers. 

The lawmaker using his position and delegated power, 
to make special laws to enable some man who has his 
eye upon a favorable site for a saloon, too near a school 
house to be allowed under the terms of the present law. 

Noble Statesmen! 

There must be other matters which should engage 
the mind of the noble lawmakers that would enable them 
to make a better showing of statesmanship, than by 
trying to increase the aumber of available sites for 
saloons. 

If our Country ever loses its standing among the nations 
of the earth, it will be because of the lawmakers and 
rulers of the present day. We sometimes deplore the 
tendency of the youth of the present generation and 
predict evil when the youth of to-day become the rulers 
of the future, but whatever they may do will be the 
natural result of what the rulers of to-day are doing. 

At all times, men "higher up" make the under-world, 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 157 

If it were not for the men "higher up" there would 
not be so many in the "under world." The individuals 
of the under word are the tools of the men higher up, 
and the men higher up have made their own tools. 

Shakespeare's scene of King John and Hubert, in the 
case of young Arthur, shows the relation of the upper 
and the lower world; in which case, Hubert shows him- 
self the better of the two. 

The liquor question has also been under considera- 
tion by the U. S. Congress and the President. The re- 
sult of their consideration is, in some respects, favorable 
to the temperance cause. The bill preventing the ship- 
ment of liquors into prohibition states passed both houses, 
which fact gives encouragement to the advocates of 
temperance. No doubt that the President was sincere 
in his reasons for vetoing the bill, yet it is to be regreted. 

We do not feel justified in commenting upon the 
constitutional grounds of the veto: but it appears to us 
that in as much as Congress has constitutional right to 
prevent the distribution of liquors through the mails and 
the right to regulate the shipment of explosives by 
carrying companies, it has the right to regulatd the de- 
livery of liquors into the states that have enacted pro- 
hibition laws. 

If the constitution of the United States permits 
individuals or carrying companies to interfere with the 



158 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

enforcement of consitutional laws of the state and thus 
nullify the laws of the state, then there is need of an 
amendment of the constitution of the United States. 

It is difficult for a layman to understand how the 
general government can make and enforce laws regu- 
lating Inter-state Commerce, if the president's reasons 
for vetoing the bill referred to, are valid. 

Unless the individual prohibition state through which 
carriers pass has a right of its own, to enforce its 
own laws and regulations as against such carriers, and 
if the Constitution of The United States is powerless to 
help the the individual state, then the state is at the 
mercy of any individual outside of the state, to such an 
extent that it cannot enforce its own laws within its 
own territory. 

If this principle is correct it must apply to every 
article of commerce, or to any other matter. The state 
could not quarantine against the importation of disease 
or decayed fruits or infected cattle. The way it looks to 
us, the reasons given for the veto are not valid, pro- 
vided the state has a constitutional right to pass prohib- 
itson laws. 

We are not qualified to express an opinion as to the 
constitutionality of the law, but simply suggest these 
difficulties for the constitutional expert. 

For the last few weeks, high officials have shown 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 159 



considerable interest in the liquor business. Mayors of 
large cities like New York and Chicago have been mak- 
ing great efforts to give the dealers in liquors, more 
liberty and less liability in their business. 
Changes of laws have been suggested all to the advantage 
of the sellers of beer. In Chicago saloon closing-time 
was changed from one A. M. to two o'clock on New 
Year's, so as to give the saloonists a chance to clean 
out the pockets of his customers, and to start the New 
Year as he wished it to run. Everything has been done 
that could be done, to promote the interests of the liquor 
dealers. 

After a man has been elected to a position of power, 
the people who elected him have no influence with th« 
officer elected. The officer then comes under the influ- 
ence of certain classes of men of whom he hopes to re- 
ceive favors and forgets those who have favored him. 
The voter has no money interest in the the election of a 
man, but there are classes of men, and kinds of busi- 
ness that need certain laws, and they find a way to get 
what they want even though the ordinary voter suffers 
in consequence. 

We know that the brewers are willing to spend money 
to promote their business, and that they keep a legisla- 
tive account, and we reason that thty would not keep an 
account of legislative expense that did not have a 



160 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



credit side as well as a debit side. We know that the 
liquor men are well satisfied with the situation, and that 
they consider themselves well cared for by the lawmak- 
ers. The brewers and distillers have associations by 
which means they keep in touch with each other, and 
with individual dealers throughout the land, so that they 
can act in harmony with the business, and can all act 
under the direction of the heads of the business, as to 
the most desirable candidate of any party that will 
pledge te support the liquor interests. If any evidence 
of the above statement is needed, that lawmakers and 
tke office-seekers favor the liquor interests, it will be 
found in a quotation from the New York Tribune of 
March 28, 1913, the sub-head of a paragraph which 
reads as follows: "Wine growers rejoice." "News of 
the coming president's liberal views cheer all at the 
the annual dinner of the American Wine-growers As- 
sociation at the Waldorf." Dudley Field Malone made 
a speech on the subject: The Political Vintage, during 
which he told of his experience campaigning with Prof. 
Wilson." 

"It was in Milwaukie" he said, that I first heard the 
rumor that Gov. Wilson was a prohibitionist. "1 happen- 
ed to know that at that moment the Governor was sitting 
in Bapst's hostlery drinking a "Scotch." "I went and 
asked him if he was a prohibitionist." "He replied 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 161 



that he had never answerd that question before as 
he was busy with more important things; but he said 
then, that to his mind, "prohibition had no part in 
politics, and wont have in mine; it belongs to econom- 
ic and social questions." "Some prohibitionists drmk; 
let us quit hypocrisy and fake reform and let every 
man live according to his own good judgment." 

The article from which the above is quoted further 
says "all of which was particularly interesting to the 
wine-growers who asked Mr. Malone to speak so that 
they might get some line on legislation concerning their 
own cherished business" 

Thus we see that before Prof. Wilson was elected 
president, the liquor dealers had "a line on his policy." 

How many votes did this line of policy gain for 
for Mr. Wilson ? 

Mr Wilson was too busy to answer the the question 
whether he was a prohibitionist or not, when the ques- 
tion was put to him in New Jersey, but it took only a 
few minute to answer it in Milwaukee, the great beer 
manufacturing centre. The question was of great im- 
portance at this place. When the same question was 
asked by the New Jersey Anti-Saloon League, he was 
too busy to answer except to say that the liquor ques- 
tion was a religious and moral question and not a matter 
of politics; in Milwaukee it was a social and economic 



162 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



question. He eliminates from his line of policy all social, 
moral, economic and religious matters. 

It might not be detrimental to his success as an am- 
bitious man, independent of his political aspirations, to 
consider these thing. We would call attention to Mr. 
Malone's subject: "The Political Vintage." 

This suggests that Wine growers have, of late, reap- 
ed a rich harvest of political influence, and, by the use 
of Prof. Wilon's name, and his assurances that he is 
not a prohibitionist, suggest that Prof. Wilson was 
considered the prize fruit of the Vintage. 

A well conducted vinyard requires care and cultiva- 
tion, and we infer the politicians have been cultivated. 

The wine-growers and Mr. iMalone rejoiced that they 
had gained so much political advantage, knowing that 
the prosperity of their business depends upon the 
action and influence of the politicians and lawmak- 
ers. 

Political platforms usually detail the desirable policies 
of the party, but the liquor dealers dare not make their 
platform, but they must know how all candidates stand. 
A sly wink from a crafty candidate, means that their 
business is safe. "A wink is a bid," and the voter 
is sold. If this is not treachery, what is it? This mat- 
ter is left out of the platform intentionally; and the can- 
didate acts for the voter because it was not in the plat- 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 163 



form. If this is not trickery, what is it ? 

We all know that politicians can do nothing to help 
the liquor men except by using influence with lawmak- 
ers, for laws favorable to the liquor interests. The 
voters are sold by the politicians. 

When Mr. Wilson answered Mr. Malone's question 
as to his being in favor of prohibition or ;,ot, he was a 
candidate for the Presidency. He was in a beer man- 
ufacturing city, and it would have been a serious mat- 
ter to proclaim himself a prohibitionist, so he makes 
his position clear by pronouncing prohibitionists hypo- 
crites and fakes, and advised every one to live according 
to his own good judgment. Mr. Wilson unnecessarily, 
and we think, unwisely, outlined his policy at this time 
and at this place where his views would be of greatest 
advatage to him, and we question his judgment in de- 
nouncing many great and good men and women, as 
hypocrites and fakes. 

Had he been a tactful politician, he would have made 
friends of the beer dealers, and still retained his 
friendship with the prohibitionists. 

He has gained the gratitude, if not the respect of 
those whom he favored, and has lost the good will of 
those whom he insulted. 

Mr. Wilson did not think, when he made known his 
policy to the people of Milwaukee, before his election, 



164 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



that the echo would be heard all over the United States. 

It would have been better if the prohibitionists had 
not heard the echo; it would have made them feel bet- 
ter if they had not heard of his contempt. 

The liquor dealers were so jubilant that they could 
not refrain from shouting over Mr. Wilson's line of 
policy, and his taunt at the prohibitionists; and Mr. 
Wilson has unwisely placed himself on the side of the 
liquor men whose business is a curse to mankind. In 
duty to ourselves and to the cause of temperance we 
are obliged to regard him as an adversary. 

And it is our duty to remind the advocates of temp- 
erance that we cannot expect very much help from the 
President elect. There is not a saloon in the land that 
has not heard or soon will hear of Mr. Wilson's attitude 
toward them and toward prohibitionists. 

Why do the liquor men shout so lustily over Mr. 
Wilson's words? 

Because he is politically, a strong man, and a leader 
of a strong party and will occupy a position where he 
can do much to help the liquor men, or to help the 
prohibitionists, and he has chosen to snub the prohi- 
bitionists. 

For the same reason that the liquor men have, to re- 
joice, we feel it our duty to give so much attention to 
this subject. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 165 



The prohibitionists have one strong hope; "The victo- 
ry is not always to the strong, nor the race to the swift." 

Samson was a strong man and he pulled down a house, 
but he was killed by its fall. Sometimes men's very 
strength causes their own downfall. 

In the article referred to it says that Dr. F. C. Howe, 
director of the People's Institute, in a way that was 
pleasing to the wine-growers, having as his sub- 
ject, 'Law-made Morality.' "Speaking of the manner of 
morals in general, he said, that in New York the trou- 
ble was not with the Chief Executive, nor with the 
ten thousand policemen, and not with the American 
people, but with those who try to make all good accord- 
ing to lines a few people inist upon." 

The report says that he characterized the excise laws 
as hypocritical, and advocated greater frankness and lib- 
erality in liquor statutes. We do not know what the 
above means, unless it means that there should be more 
liquor sold, and that the only bad people in New York, 
are those who try to good. The Doctor declared that 
in Europe there was less restriction and no drunken- 
ness. The Doctor does not attempt to show how more 
liquor would cause less drunkenness. 

Doctor Howe's statement does not agree with the 
statement made by others who are much better posted 
as to drunkenness in Europe. 



166 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



We quote from a report of the Minister of the Interior 
of European Russia, which is as follows: "More than 
twelve thouand fires have occurred throughout Europe- 
an Russia this year. The chief cause of the epidemic 
is carelessness in handling fire which is connected with 
the great increase in drunkenness." Either the Minis- 
ter is wrong or the Doctor was wrong, we think the 
Minister is best informed. We attach no importance 
to such statements as made by Dr. Howe, but when 
these statements are made in a convention of liquor deal- 
ers who absorb the statement as truth, and use the 
same to strengthen their position, we are obliged to give 
some attention to it. In fact we have very little else 
but unauthenticated statements to reply to. 

The Court of Pardons in New Jersey consists of the 
Governor, the Chancellor and six lay judges of the 
Court of appeals, which met at Trenton, on Decem- 
ber 23, 1912, at which session Goveror Wilson presided. 
Fify-six persons were pardoned; and two murderers con- 
demned to the electric chair, had their sentences com- 
muted to long terms of imprisonment. 

These two men, while intoxicated, shot and killed a 
citizen. One of these men was twenty and the other 
was twenty-one years of age. Young, ripe fruit of the 
saloon, developed into murderers before reaching man- 
hood, "living according to his own good judgment," as 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 167 



Prof. Wilson advised all men to do, but the trouble 
is that the saloon prevents the developement of good 
judgment while in their "teens." 

The lawmakers who enact the laws to licenses saloons, 
and the governor who signs the the laws, under a pre- 
tense of regulating the sale of intoxicating liquors, espe- 
cially to minors, have done their work so well that 
school boys may drink and become murderers before 
they reach manhood. Hypocrisy is a pretense to be what 
one is not, or to do what one does not do. There 
can be no better illustration of the word than is found 
in the pretense, and the real action of the lawmakers: 
and there can be no better illustration of "fake reform" 
that Mr. Wilson speaks of, than the liquor laws. 

The two murderers referred to would not have com- 
mitted murder if they had not been intoxicated; and 
they would not have been intoxicated if the saloons had 
not sold them intoxitating drinks; and the saloons 
would not have sold them intoxicating drink if the law- 
makers and the governor had not licensed them to do it. 

God created man and breathed the breath of life into 
his nostrils, and man became a living soul. Not compar- 
ing either of these parties with the Creator, but to the 
life-giving power: the lawmakers made the laws, and the 
Governor breathed the breath of life, into them, and 
they became living laws. Who is to blame? 



168 THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 



If the Governor had not signed the enactment, 
it could only become a law by a two-thirds vote over 
the Governor's veto. The various agencies in this case, 
are the Governor, the lawmakers, the saloons and the 
intoxicating liquors; all acting on innocent youth: the re- 
sult, murder. Who is to blame? 

The natural effect of these agencies: innocent boys 
made murderers, and an innocent man killed: two of 
New Jersey's boys confined in prison for many years at 
the expense of the State. The lawmakers are responsi- 
ble. 

At the same session of the Court of Pardons, anoth- 
er man, sentenced to die for killing his common-law 
wife, was refused pardon. 

The logical inference is, that it is less criminal to com- 
mit murder while under the influence of liquor than to 
commit murder under the influence or excitement of 
any other passion. Murder is one of the criminal fruits 
of the license system, and no doubt the Governor 
who was partially responsible for the existence of the 
saloon, and was the presiding officer of the Court, had 
a sub-consciousness that these two boys were not alone 
responsible for the crime committed while intoxicated. 
We must again call on Governor Wilson to testify against 
himself. In his talk to the legislators he said "If we 
may speak plainly we are much too free with grants 



THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 169 



and charters to corporations in New Jersey. A corpo- 
ration exists not by natural right, but by license of law, 
and the law, if you look at the matter in good consci- 
ence, is responsible for what it creates." 

Any man who does not know that intoxication incites 
to murder, is too simple to occupy a high position in 
state affairs, and any man occupying a high position, 
and knowing that intoxication causes murder and other 
crimes, and makes or sign a law permitting and caus- 
ing intoxication, is not entirely innocent. 
We cannot get away from cause and effect. Every 
effect has its cause and the same cause will always pro- 
duce the same effeet. 

During the Presidential campaign of 1912, when Mr. 
Wilson was a candidate for the presidency, in answer 
to a question in regard to his standing on temperance 
and the sale on system, he evasively answered that the 
matter was a question of morals and religion and had 
no part in politics. In one sense politicians have no 
part in moral and religious matters, which accounts for 
many things they do. The fact remains that licenses 
and saloons are matters of sufficient political nature to 
justify the lawmakers in making laws to establish saloons 
and to license rumsellers 

It is simple nonsense to deny that any matter that 
a subject to legislation, is a political matter. 



170 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The abolition of saloons and licenses formed the chief 
plank in the Prohibition platform, and was regarded by 
the state and other political parties, as a party. 

It is true there was no issue between the Republicans 
and the Democrats, on this question, but parties join 
issue on such matters as they disagree on; but on the 
liquor business, these two parties agree. 

Mr. Wilson must see that by making it the duty of 
the Church to fight the saloons, he gives the saloons a 
bad reputation. If he thinks that the destruction of the 
liquor business is work for the Church, he certainly 
ought to be interested as a church member. 

If the evils of the saloon business are to be overcome 
by christian and church workers, it certainly seems a lit- 
tle out of harmony for the lawmakers to make work for 
the church. Mr. Wilsons's sentiments, so emphatically 
expressed assured the brewers and liquor dealers that 
he would do no harm to their business, and by this 
assurance he gained many votes and possibly, his elec- 
tion. 

We give one more illustration to show the evasiveness 
of politicians who are seeking office; and to show sam- 
ple of the fruit of the "Political Vintage." 

On October 22. while Mr. Sulzer, the candidate for 
Governor of the State of New York, was addressing a 
meeting of farmers at Watertown, was asked by a lady, 



THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 171 



On October 22, while Mr. Sulzer, the candidate for 
Governor for the state of New York, was addressing 
a meeting of farmers at Watertown, New York, he 
was asked by a lady having the courage ot her convic- 
tions, how he stood on the state being "half drunk and 
half sober." Mr. Sulzer asked the lady to repeat the 
question, in order to give him time to think. Mr. Sul- 
zer knew very well that the lady wished to know how 
he stood on the saloon question; but not wishing to 
commit himself on that question for fear he would lose 
votes of the liquor men, if his reply was unfavorable to 
their business, or the votes of temperance people if his 
reply was favorable to the saloons; replied to the ques- 
tion asked by the lady, insultingly evasive. He said "I 
am intensly in favor of liberty." 

The question asked related to the establishment of sa- 
loons which is not a question of liberty. 

Mr. Sulzer also knew that there never was a ques- 
tion as to any man's liberty to drink if he wanted to. 

Mr. Sulzer publicly insulted the lady by anwering a 
question she had too much sense to ask; and put up 
a shout for liberty, so dear to every American, and 
thus, at the expense of the lady, impress upon his hear- 
ers, his own patriotism. 

Mr. Sulzer knew very well what the lady meant by 
her question, and he also knew what the effect of 



172 THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 

an honest reply would have on the number of votes 
cast. 

David B. Hill, once governor of the state of New York, 
was honest when he said he would rather have the sup- 
port of the saloons than the support of the churches. 

I imagine Mr. Hill did not mean to express a prefer- 
ence for saloons as against- the church; but that 
the saloonists would ail voce for their '-owi interests, 
while church people would not-: 

Church membership embraces representatives of all 
political ' faiths, and, to their shame be it said, when it 
comes to election; party affiliation is stronger than the 
ties that bind them to the Church. 
They reason that there is only one election day in the 
year and three hundred and sixty-four days to pray for 
the good of the country. They forget that those who 
make our laws and guide the destiny of our country are 
chosen by our vote, and that election day is the only day 
of the year we have to answer our own prayers. 

I have great faith in prayer; but we are taught that 
we are to show our faith by our works. 

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray "give us this 
day our daily bread" He did not mean to encourage idle- 
ness or that we should fold our arms and open our 
mouths to be fed with bread. We should be willing to 
answer our own prayers when we have an opportunity. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 173 



the farmer ought to pray, at least a season in advance; 
in seed time pray for his daily bread, and go out and 
plant his seed and in due time he would be fed. But if 
he prays for bread and does nothing to earn it, he is 
a tramp who begs for what he might earn by' his labor, 
and js imposing on the goodness the Father. So when a 
Christian prays 'Thy Kingdom come," for three hundred 
and sixty four days, ought to go out on election day and 
vote for such men and such measures as will advance 
God's Kingdom on earth, or he ought to stop praying. 

His action on this one day is a test of the sincerity of 
his prayers. 

John Franklin Fort, former governor of ; New Jersey, 
in addressing the.Y. M. C. A. of Newark, New jersey, 
on the occasion of the twenty seventh anniverary of that 
association, warned the Churches that if they would 
protect the youths, they must keep them out of the sa- 
loons which throw their doors open every day and much 
of the night as a meeting place for young, and old men. 
Governor Fort condemns the saloon as an institution 
that corrupts youth; and according to the principle of 
liability as given to the Legislature by Governor Wilson, 
the "lawmakers are responsible for what they create 
and for what they ought to abolish." 

There is not a doubt that the saloons are evils and 
it is certain that they are established by the lawmakers. 



174 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Governor Wilson in his reply to Mr. Burke's ques- 
tion as to Mr. Wilson's position on the saloon busi- 
ness said it was a moral and religious matter, and here 
we find a very peculiar state of affairs: The saloons es- 
tablished by the state are of such deadly peril to youth, 
that the Church must rescue them from the state. 

If the Devil had brought this curse upon us we would 
detest him more than we now do, if possible, but this 
is the work of the lawmakers. It would be better if 
the Devil was the author of the curse for in that case 
the lawmakers could join with the Church in the fight 
agains the saloon. The saloon business is in line with 
the Devil's business; and logically, the Devil and the 
lawmakers are allies flighting agains right. 

Instead of the state protecting the boys of the state 
from temptation, it is placing temptations on every spot 
where a saloon can be made to prosper, and a man who 
is wicked enough, can be found to run it. We ques- 
tion the morality of a man who is willing to engage in a 
business that destroys the morals of their patrons, and 
shuts their souls out of Heaven. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 175 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Mayor of New York City. 

We quote from The Tribune of March 4th, 1913, the 
following: "Mayor Gaynor attended a Fresh-water dinner 
last night, given by the Young Men's Club of Sommer- 
ville Methodist Church, of Brooklyn at the Hotel 
Mohawk, in the Borough. 

He informed his audience that he had done something 
in the city that had never been done before, and that was 
to close all the bar-rooms on Sunday. 

He offered a prize to any one finding for him a 
a bar-room open on any of the three coming Sundays. 

He also said he would bestow a prize on the lucky 
mortal who saw any one drinking in the bar-rooms on 
those days. 

The Mayor further said "New York City was the 
greatest foreign city in the world and the population 
was made up of all kinds of people who had to be gov- 
erned accordingly. Now, if the Methodists, he told his 
hearers, could get them to spend Sundays on the 
benches of the churches, that was perfectly satisfactory 
to him: but if they told him he ought to drive them 
there with a policeman's club, he begged to tell them 
he ought not. 



176 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Mr. Gaynor further said "you can't teach religion or 
morality by force, you must do it by persuasion, and 
that will take a long time. You can't do it all, you will 
have to leave some of it for your childreu so they will 
not be lonesome for something to do." The Mayor asks: 
Can you stop a man from drinking on Sundays if he 
wants to? "You may by getting at his heart and making 
him love water more than beer, but you can't do it by 
force." The Mayor continues: "In no nation on the 
continent of Europe did they ever hear of such a thing 
as not drinking on Sunday, yet they go to church a lot 
more than they do here in Brooklyn. No such law was 
ever passed in the world unl il it was passed over here, 
except in England, Scotland and Ireland the law closes 
the bar during church hours; but over here we have to 
keep our saloons closed all day Sunday. But that same 
law permits us to join the Union League club, and 
there we can swig all day. I don't see why we who can 
afford to join the club should swig grog on Sunday any 
more than the man who has to buy his at the saloon." 
The Mayor said much more, touching upon other mat- 
ters, but nothing more that we care to quote. 

We would, however, note that the remainder of his 
remarks were more interesting to ministers of the Gos- 
pel, and editors of newspapers who had expressed sen- 
timents not favorable to to the mayor. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 177 



He failed to say one unkind word against the beer 
business or againt any one connected with it. 

Those of my readers who have had experience in the 
use of tools, know how hard it is to bore holes with an 
auger, in a piece of rotten wood. The difficulty is, there 
is not solidity enough in the rotten wood for the auger 
to catch hold of so that the bit may be drawn in. 

This is the case with the Mayor's speech, there is not 
reason or argumeut or consistency enough to apply com- 
monsense argument to it. 

But, as the Mayor has used the dignity of his office, 
and the influence of his high standing as a lawyer and 
Judge, to strengthen the stronghold of our adversaries, 
it becomes our duty to give attention to his words. 

We are surprised that the Mayor should be guilty of 
such bad taste as to make such an appeal for the open 
saloon, on Sundays, at a Fresh water dinner, given by 
the Young Men's Club of the Methodist Church. 

The arguments presented by the advocates of liquor, 
are of the weakest kind, for the reason that there are 
no strong arguments that can be given. The lawmak- 
ers themselves can give no stronger argument. 

The Mayor says you may by getting at the heart and 
making him love water better than beer, prevent a man 
from drinking beer, but you cannot do it by force. In 
the next breath he says he stopped the sale of drinks in 



178 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



every bar-room in New York, and offered a reward to 
one showing him an opon bar-room in the next three 
weeks, on Sunday. Did the Mayor touch the hearts of 
the drinkers? Did he make them love water better than 
beer ? If he did stop drinking on two Sundays, and 
will do it for three Sundays more he will do it by force. 

If he does it for five Sundays he can do it for five 
more, by using the same mean. 

In boasting of his achievements, he acknowledges his 
ability, therefore, his responsibility, and the people of 
New York should look to him to continue the exercise of 
his power to keep the saloons closed every Sunday. 

Mr. Gaynor says that in Europe, the saloons are 
open all day on Sunday; and that the percentage of 
Church attendance is much higher than it is in this 
Country. The inference is that the saloon open on Sun- 
day promotes Christianity and increases Church attend- 
ance. In most Countries of Europe, the church re- 
quires its members to attend church punctually, but at 
the same time allows greater liberty to its members 
after services. But this, if true, is no argument in fa- 
vor of saloons unless it can be shown that the people of 
those countries are superior to the people of our own 
country, and that the Sunday saloon is the cause of that 
superiority. I have no doubt that a saloon in the 
church vestibule would increase the attendance. 



THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 179 



It is the nature of sinners to keep away from Church 
where their sins are rebuked, but not rebuked, they 
would be very comfortable in church. 

If the saloons are open all day Sundays the patron of 
the saloon can well spare a few minutes between drinks 
to attend Church. I suppose that the Church might be 
so changed in its doctrines, and requirements, that the 
Devil might become a consistent member; but if the 
Church be transformed to conform to the bar-room, how 
much better would the Church be than the bar-room? 
The Mayor says that we must convert a man and make 
him like water better than beer. Water quenches 
thirst, but beer creates thirst. Mr. Gaynor knows that 
his proposition is nonsensical. 

Does Mr. Gaynor think that to stop graft he must first 
convert the grafter and make him love honesty better 
than money ? 

If the Mayor thinks that, he should have been out 
with his missionaries, preaching to grafters to convert 
them. District attorney Whitman has found the proper 
way to abolish graft without converting the hearts of the 
grafters. The Mayor says that when he became Mayor 
the saloons were paying graft to the amount of two hun- 
dred fifty millions a year, and that not one dollar is be- 
ing paid to day. This condition has been brought about 
by Mr. Whitman, without the Mayor's aid. 



180 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



If the Mayor has done it, he has done it through the 
silent influences upon the hearts of the grafters, for there 
has been no effort by force, visible to the naked eye. 
Let us note right here, that two hundred and fifty mill- 
ions dollars per year, of graft that the mayor found 
in the city, is just so much evidence that the saloon 
is a thing of great evil, for there is no good thing on 
earth that graft can be levied upon. You may levy 
graft on crooked, illegal business, but not on honest, up- 
right business. 

There are no greater evils, against which the city has 
to contend, than the evils of the saloon. 

Any one who has attended the Police Courts, has 
noticed the large number of arrests made during 
the night, charged with being drunk and disorderly: 
( "D. D.") This is the case in every precinct. 

Thousands of others who have not been arrested 
were drunk and disorderly: and thousands of others were 
too drunk to be disorderly. All this adds to the ex- 
pense and the difficulty of governing the city, and adds 
to the mayor's duties; yet the Mayor would give one 
more day to the open saloon. 

Because there are no more working days in the 
week, the Mayor would cut off a portion of the Lord's 
day to enrich the saloonists. He says that the cause of 
graft was a too rigid enforcement of the laws. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 181 



This is the rottenest spot in the wood. If the laws 
were stricly enforced, there was no illegal selling, then 
why did any one pay graft? Was it because they were o- 
beying the law? And, if after Mr. Gaynor came into 
office they were laxly enforced, why was it necessary to 
pay graft? 

We think that the laws were not rigidly enforced, and 
that graft was paid that they might not be enforced. 

Before dismissing this subject we must call Mr. Gay- 
nor's attention to the fact that he and the people who 
advocate the abolition of the saloon, are not talking on 
the same subject He is talking about preventing indi- 
viduals drinking, while we are talking about abolishing 
the saloon. 

We know that so long as the saloons exist, it will be 
impossible to prevent men from drinking. But we also 
know that if the saloons were out of existence it would 
be difficult for the individual to drink. 

The saloons that now exist will cease to exist, at the 
expiration of their licenses, and if no new licenses are 
granted, and no old one is renewed, the saloons will 
die a natural death. 

A stroke by President Lincoln's pen abolished slavery, 
that had existed over two hundred year; and immotal- 
ized his name. What man, or what body of men will 
sieze the opportunity to immotalize their names ? 



182 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

The drinkers and drunkards are not the ones who 
are clamoring for the saloon; many of them would be 
glad if the saloons were out of existence, that they 
might be able to redeem their manhood. 

The brewers and the liquor dealers are interest- 
ed and it is to them that the lawmakers cater. 

Mr. Gaynor claims that he stopped graft in New 
York, and that he closed the saloons on Sundays. We 
did not know that he had done this, but we believe he 
can close them if he will, and if he does not close them 
he will be to blame. A strong man, being right and 
having authority, can do great things if he has the will. 
When the great lire occurred in San Francisco in 1905, 
all was confusion, and looters took advantage of the sit- 
uation, and began to help themselves to goods in the 
streets which were not properly guarded. The following 
is part of a description of the condition as given by 
a correspondent, as published in the New York Sun of 
April 26, 1906: "The sale of sarsaparilla and ginger ale 
are the only drinks procurable just now in die city, ex- 
cept water. The sale of liquor has been, and now is 
absolutely suppressed, and the absence of disorder has 
been marvelous, considering the chaotic conditions." 

This report is not made for its bearing on the tem- 
perance question, but as a fact worthy of note. 

The mayor knew that under such chaotic conditions, 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 183 



the free use of liquors would add ten-fold to the diffi- 
culties and confusion, and having this knowledge, and a 
strong will to control the situation, cut off, not only the 
sale, but the use of all liquors. 

The use of liquors incites people to evil deeds, and 
when used in connection with other excitement, it pro- 
duces in the drinker, a condition that cannot be con- 
trolled except by force. 

The mayor of San Francisco, suppressed the liquor 
traffic, not only for two Sundays, as mayor Gaynor said 
he did in New York, but for several weeks, week days 
and Sundays. Both of these mayors showed what they 
could do if inclined to act. 

The mayor of San Francisco, followed his own common 
sense, as is the practice of every mayor and sheriff in 
cases of riot or other occasions of excitement, and all 
testify by this act, that liquor is a dangerous element, 
even when there is no excitement to contend with. 

In the case of San Francisco, the saloons were first 
put out of business; and then it was easy to suppress its 
use by individuals. 



184 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
The Dog. 

A man had an old dog that would rather stay in 
the house than to go out door: his master told the dog 
to go out door, but the dog went under the bed; the 
master then said "go under the bed then, for I will be 
obeyed." 

The authorities in New York and in many other cities 
have forbidden the sale of liquors on Sundays, but the 
saloon men, like the dog, refuse to obey. "Well" say 
the authorities; "if you will not obey the laws, we will 
change the law and allow you to sell on Sunday, for we 
will be obeyed." 

The master of the dog will be obeyed, and the ambi- 
tious, but weak mayor will be obeyed and both act on 
the principle that where there is no law there is no 
transgression. 

This principle applies with equal force and propriety, 
to any vice that can be mentioned. It is the same prin- 
ciple that spoils children, whose parents cannot make 
them obey; and shows weakness of the ruler. 

There are men who could, and would, if in power, en- 
force every law, or know the reason why. 

Laws should be just and strictly enforced. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 185 



The proposal to give the liquor dealers more liberty 
and less liability, is not urged by the those who drink, 
but by those who sell; and the people demand a reason 
for giving more liberty. 

If the demand were made by those who drink, and 
if habitual drinkers cannot get along from Saturday 
night until Monday morning without alcoholic drink, 
it is high time that the saloons were annihilated, or al- 
coholic fiends will be as drug fiends. 

The principle of changing laws, to suit the pleasure of 
those who violate them, encourages evilly inclined per- 
sons to violate the law for the sake of the change that 
may be brought about by disobedience, and cultivates a 
disregard for law and a contempt for lawmakers and 
executives. 

The police calls ''stop thief," but the thief does not 
stop, and the policeman says "do not stop for I will be 
obeyed." The policeman loses respect for himself, and 
the thief holds him in contempt. Respect for any law 
depends upon its justice and the manner in which it is 
enforced. 

Many years ago a teacher took charge of a village 
school in the state of New York. Four other Principals 
in three weeks had tried their hands, and were forced to 
give it up because of their inability to govern the pupils. 

In those years, school age was not limited as it now 



187 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



is, and many who were beyond their "teens" attended 
the public school. The Delaware and Hudson canal pass- 
ed through the village, and the older boys worked on 
the canal in the Summer and attended school in the 
winter. The schooling on the canal was quite different 
from the village school, but the boys liked it better. 

The new Principal allowed himself one day to become 
acquainted with the boys, and to size up the situation. 

The pupils also made good use of the day to take the 
Principal's measure. When the second day opened the 
boys were ready to rebel. The exercise began with a 
rush of over a dozen of the largest boys, for the Princi- 
pal. The evercise lasted about sixteen minutes, when 
the rebels surrendered and the Principal stood on the 
platform, ''monarch of ail he surveyed." 

Later in the day, an angry parent of one of the boys 
who had been engaged in the affair, came in the room 
with a leather whip known as a 'blacksnake 9 ' and 
walked up to the platform, swearing, and threatening 
and when he reached the platform, and looked at the 
Principal he stood still for a moment, casting his eyes 
on the principal and viewing him from head to foot, 
suddenly turned on his heel and swore himself out 
of the room. Meanwhile the Principal stood with fold- 
ed arms and made not a move and spoke aot a word. 
This incident settled the question of authority. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 187 



The third day of school opened with the same pupils, 
and the same Principal. The same pupils, but wonder- 
fully changed to perfect gentlemen. They and the 
Principal were on the best of terms. The Principal re- 
mained in that school for four years, and then went to 
a better field, much to the regret of his many friends. 
This little incident is given to show that unenforced laws 
and weak authority breed contempt, and a just enforce- 
ment of just laws, create a respect for law and author- 
ity. It also shows how much depends upon the person 
whose duty it is to enfore the laws. And it further 
shows that he who is in power and does not command 
respect by enforcing the laws, is not the right man in 
the right place. 

Mayor Gaynor in one of his speeches expressed the 
idea that the population of New York city, being cos- 
mopolitan in character, representing all the nations 
throughout the world, who had lived under different 
forms of government; and under different religious and 
social influences, that some modification of the govern- 
ment should be made so that it should, in some degree, 
conform to the customs of the nations from which these 
people came. 

The village school, say of three hundred pupils, is a 
community of representatives of a hundred different 
families, from which these pupils come, and these fam- 



188 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



ilies are of different nationalities. 
The home governments of these families are as differ- 
ent from each other as the national governments of New 
York's foreign population. Some families have no gov- 
ernment and the children are, to an extent, anarchists. 

If we regard these several families from which these 
children come, as foreigners, and the school as the gov- 
ernment, the population is as cosmopolitan as New 
York's population. 

The school government cannot take into consideration 
the peculiarities of the families from which these child- 
ren come, but it must be a government exactly fitted to 
the successful school: and, for the very reason that the 
pupils are subjects of foreign governments, ( that is fam- 
ily governments ) -the rules and regulations should be 
just, and strictly enforced. It is so with cities whose 
population is cosmopolitan: The government should be 
positive and just. 

Nongovernment can be Just, tljat gives privileges to 
one man that is refused to another becaus e the one is 
a saloonist and the other is not. 
The privileged few make more trouble than the many 
who have no privileges. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 189 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Sabbath and Man. 

A writer who signs himself " Presbyterian" contributes 
through the New York Tribune of July 17, 1913, the 
following: 

'The Sabbath was made for man, why should he not 
enioy it ?" 

"To the Editor of The New York Tribune: 

Sir; Appreciation of the stand taken by Mayor Gay- 
nor in regard }o Sunday games and recreation ahould 
call forth the commendation of every intelligent citizen 
and suburbanite. The time for Puritanical superstition 
is past, and the Bible, pure and simple, should be ac- 
cepted. "The Sabbath was made for man." Why not 
let him enjoy it as his own conscience approves, after 
his six days of labor, unless he violates the city's laws? 
Some day this free country will look back with horror 
to the "no recreation Sabbath," as it now looks back 
to the cruelties of witchcraft and other false interpreta- 
tions of God's loving laws." 

Signed: 

Milburn, N. J A Presbyterian. 



190 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

We give our attention to this contribution for several 
reasons. The writer has signed "Presbyterian'' to give 
greater importance to his sentiments than his own name 
would give, and give the impression that it is Presbyte- 
rian sentiment that the Sabbath should be used for rec- 
reation and not as God commanded "to keep it holy." 
The writer of the article referred to, says the stand 
that Mayor Gaynor has taken in regard to Sunday a- 
musement should receive the commendation of every 
citizen and suburbanite. The Milburn Presbyterian 
classes God's command "to keep the Sabbath day holy," 
with witchcraft, forgetting that it was God who gave the 
command. But he gives mayor Gaynor the credit of 
discovering God's mistake. I am very sure that "Pres- 
byterian" in his effort to please, has crowded Mayor 
Gaynor into a position that he would not voluntarily 
place himself in. We do not believe that he classes 
any of God's commands with superstition and witchcraft; 
but we do believe that his remarks and the stand he 
has taken on Sunday amusements and Sunday liquor- 
selling, influenced "Presbyterian" to express the senti- 
ments he did, and no doubt that Mr. Gay nor 's position 
has had its effect upon hundreds of men who have been 
wishing that Sunday need not be so strictly observed. 

"A drop of ink makes millions think." One should 
be careful of what one writes. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 191 



The subject of Sabbath observance on general prin- 
ciples is not within the scope of this book, but we wish 
to record ourselves as believing in the commandments 
as given in the Bible. 

It is true that man was not made (for the good of) 
the Sabbath, and it is true that the Sabbath was made 
for (the good of) man. We believe that when Jesus 
said "Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sab- 
bath was made for man," He did not change the com- 
mand "to keep it holy." 

Take the Sabbath out of our lives, and we lose all 
the institutions of the Sabbath, and we will be no bet- 
ter than heathen. If every one keeps the commands 
of God, I shall feel perfectly safe; and if I keep His 
commands, no one need be afraid of me. And if we 
all keep the commands, we will be safe from each other, 
and we will then know that all of God's commands were 
made for man's good. Man was not made for the laws 
of New York, but the laws were made for man. 

If we reverse the conditions and let every man do as 
he may desire, none of us would be safe from the others. 

Before changing the meaning or lessening the obli- 
gations of His commands, I would advise "Presbyterian" 
to talk the matter over with God. 



192 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



If a man works six days in the week, dissipates six 
nights and desecrates the seventh, he is not doing his 
best for himself; and he is not apt to do his best at 
his business the following week. 

Sabbath is a good day to become acquainted with 
God's word, and if we do this it will do us more good 
than to see a ball game. 

We have said more than we intended to say, but we 
see in the article referred to, and in the stand taken by 
Mayor Gaynor, an effort to school the public sentiment, 
step by step, until public sentiment will not oppose the 
open saloon on Sunday. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 193 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Our Republic. 

Our Government being a Republic, in which the right 
of the people to rule themselves has been delegated to 
representatives, and by this act, the people have made 
themselves as powerless as the subjects of an Absolute 
Monarchy. 

The self-appointed leaders get together before elec- 
tion, and formulate such policies the as they think 
can win the eietion, which they call The Platform. 

In due time the platform is prsesented and explained 
and we find it is just what we want, although we do 
not understand a word of it. 

After our representatives are elected they laugh at 
us and perhaps send us a few garden seeds to keep our 
favor until the next election. 

An Absolute monarch would think too much of his 
own safety to vex his subjects too much. 

When we voted for our candidate we did not think 
we were voting for the brewers and the saloons. 

Our representatives were elected to look after the 
welfare of all whom they represent, but they have 



194 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

made and maintained laws that injure every individual of 
the State except a very few. 

We do not consider the drunkards as a part of the 
active forces against the aboliton of the saloon, but as 
tools in the hands of the brewers and lawmakers. 

When men have gone so far in their own destruction, 
there is nothing that can influence them to vote against 
the saloon. Nothing can be expected of men who have 
lost all hope and all desire except to gratify their appe- 
tites. The brewers and lawmakers make use of these 
men who are not actuated by desire for public welfare 
nor for their own good; and marshal them at the polls 
where they cast their votes as directed, and these form 
a sort of balance of power always in the hands of the 
brewers. And every new drunkard the brewers can 
make, is another vote for the brewer and the balance 
of power grows larger each year. The great argument 
of the brewers for the perpetuation of their business, is 
that it is so large and so important, that it is depended 
upon so much by the Government for Revenue, that to 
destroy the business would cause great financial embar- 
rassment. If this is true, no wonder that the Govern- 
ment should "Foster and enourage the beer business." 

Every new saloonist is a new agent for the Govern- 
ment; every drunkard who drinks himself to death, is a 
true patriot and dies for the good of his country. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 195 



The laws have been so loosely made and so feebly 
enforced, that we hear of violations of licenses every day. 

If those whose duty it is to enforce the laws, had 
force of character and ability enough to prove their 
fitness for what is required of them, no saloonist would 
dare violate the law. As it now is, the saloonist feels 
that the detective is appointed for his protection and 
his only care is to keep watch of temperance watchers. 
If a saloonist knew that for a single offense his license 
would be cancelled, there would be no violations. 

The saloonists believe, as we do, that the Prosecu- 
tor's detectives have not the ability, or they have not 
the desire to detect a violation. Which is it? Whose 
fault is it? 

A saloonist said in my hearing that a Sunday's trade 
was worth fifty dollars to his business, and if he sold 
beer for five Sundays, and got arrested and fined two 
hundred dollars, he was still fifty dollars ahead of the 
game; and his chances were more than five to one that 
he would not be arrested. 

It stands to reason, that if enough patrons of the 
saloon to make a profit of fifty dollars in one Sunday, 
can find their way into the saloon, the Prosecutor's 
detective chould find his way into the same saloon. 

The aptrons find their way into the saloon because 
they want to; the detective cannot because he will not. 



196 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



This style of administration of republican government 
will soon ruin the Nation; and it is already so weak 
that there is not force enough to protect men from the 
mob and riot. 

Politicians and officials are afraid to suppress violence 
of certain classes of men, for fear they will lose politi- 
cal support. The worst feature of the condition is the 
innocence of the people who lull themselve to sleepy in- 
difference to the conditions and allow themselves to be 
duped. At the rate of progress the people of the li- 
nked States are making in the direction of greater per- 
sonal liberty regardless of law or moral obligations; it 
will require only a single generation before anarchy 
will prevail. 

When a man is elected to the highest office of the 
Nation, it is his duty to work for the best interests 
of the entire Country, and not use his official position 
to strengthen the party that elected him; for it some- 
times happens that a person is elected by the minority, 
and in that case he would not be President of the Unit- 
ed States, but the President of a party. 

There is no greater subject relating to the welfare of 

man than the liquor traffic, and nothing is done about 

it by the government, except consider it as a basis to be 

reckoned on in adjusting tariff and providing for revenue. 

A Government that depends upon a traffic in alcohol, 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 197 



that "spares not the high nor the lowly, that corrupts all 
that is brightest and best in manhood, and blasts the 
fondest hopes of youth;" that Government is supported 
at the sacrifice of its unfortunate citizens. 

The political candidiate who advocates the saloon and 
who is "unalterably opposed to prohibition," and goes be- 
fore the public and pleads for the votes of the victims, as- 
suring them with tearful eloquence that if they will only 
elect him, he will devote himself to their welfare &c; 
such a candidate has his own interests at heart more 
than he has yours. What greater good can be done 
for man than to abolish the greatest curse of man? 

We must not be deceived: the man who will maintain 
wrong to the people, for his own benefit, will DO 
wrong for his own benefit. It is human nature and poli- 
ticians are very much human. 

One of the most inexcusable acts of the lawmakers, is 
the law that places the responsbility of granting licenses, 
on the Judge. We have been taught to regard a Judge 
as a dispenser of justice, and that law and equity were 
personified in him. The duty to grant licenses corrupts 
his functions as Judge. If a minister of the Gospel 
should administer the rite of Baptism and then go out 
and dedicate the opening of a beer saloon, it would be 
no more incongruons than a Judge acting as a license 
Commissioner. 



198 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

The comments of the newspapers on the incident of a 
Wineless Dinner given by William J. Bryan, Secretary 
of State, were, as a rule, of a triffling nature, and, while 
it did not annoy the Secretary in the least, yet these 
comments showed the sentiment of the newspapers mak- 
ing the comments and gave evidence that nothing can be 
expected of the newspapers in aid of the temperance 
cause, until it becomes popular. 

Some newspapers seem to have no character of their 
own; but a character reflected from the popluar side. 

We notice that the papers that commented unfavorably, 
publish advertisements of the beer business. 

The fact that the Secretary of State had the courage 
and consistency to act according to his principles, en- 
courages us to believe that there are enough such men 
in the country to enable us to win in the near future. 

A ship may contain hundreds of passengers, all in- 
telligent and of good character, but their safety and 
lives depend upon one man: the man at the wheel who 
may steer the ship against an iceberg and cause all on 
board to perish. Even so the great majority of citizens 
of the state may be of the highest order, and the few 
who manage the ship of state steer it to destruction. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 199 



Citizens of a state should not be so sure of their safety 
that they neglect to watch over those whom they have 
elected to make and enforce the laws. "Eternal vigil- 
ance is the price of Liberty." 

It requires but a grain of reasoning power to arrive 
at the conclusion that the use of alcoholic drinks by an 
individual who continues to drink, wi*l come to ruin, 
and if the number of drinkers increases, at any ratio, the 
time will come when the nation will be ruined; the 
length of time depending upon the ratio of increase. 

Wonderful improvements have been made in the last 
few years. The application of electricity to so many 
practical purposes has made improvements in mchinery. 

Chemists have discovered new substances and new 
uses of known substances; men fly with the birds, in 
defiance to the laws of gravity; the perfected telescope 
has extended the vision of man and the actions of men 
have been reproduced and perpetuated by means of 
moving pictures. When we see all these we wonder 
at the great things that have deen done by the pres- 
ent generation. But all of these improvements have 
been done by the few. 



200 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



These improvemets have not been made by, but in 
this generation; by a few individuals who have towered 
above the ordinary world of men. It is so in the de- 
velopement and maintainance of government, a few 
men control the government and shape its policies, and 
the mass of the people have no voice in the govern- 
ment except to talk and criticise. 

"That government is best which is best administered. " 



. THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 201 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

The East Side. 

Nations that have once been of high standing among 
the nations of the earth, and have lost their nationality; 
cannot place the blame upon the lower class of people. 

History teaches that the influences that have corrupt- 
ed these nations, have not been the acts or conduct, or 
the character of that class called the common people. 

The gangs and slums may be corrupt, but they are not 
the corrupting influences that threaten our country to- 
day; but the dishonest and selfish men of high official 
standing, and those of social standing who wear a robe 
of respectability to cover corruption. Further, we ven- 
ture to say that the corrupt principles of men higher up 
are respensible for a large portion of the corruption in 
the lower grade of society. 

There is no doubt that men of high standing, and 
apparently respectable, have been responsible for the 
fall of females of good standing, who have come under 
the influence of these men, and have been reduced to 



202 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



a lower level, while the men men themselves, still 
maintain the appearance of respectability. 

If the United States ever loses its rank among the 
nations, it will not be because of the lower classes, but 
because of the men who rule. 

If our country is ruined, or lowered in its standing 
because of drunkenness, it will not be so much the fault 
of the drinkers, or of the beer-sellers, as of the lawmak- 
ers. The investigations now being made in the city of 
New York, reveal an astonishing amount of rascality 
and corruption that has been covered up by a cloak of 
respectability. 

The East Side section of New York is often referred 
to as the gathering place of the lower class of people. 

The residents of this part of the city are disrespect- 
fully spoken of, and considered socially inferior to the 
residents of other sections; but they have been misrep- 
resented, and they have unjustly suffered by a faulty 
comparison- They have been judged by outward ap- 
pearances, nnd not by their character. A majority of 
these residents have not an abundance of this world's 
goods, and they are forced to live in cramped quarters, 
and dress according to their circumstances. The streets 
are the only places where small dealers can display 
their goods for sale, and there seems to be a noisy 
scramble for life. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 20? 

Considering the high rents charged by landlords; and 
the poverty of the residents, they do tKe best they can. 

Not-with-standing their disadvantages, the residents 
maintain personal characters that compare favorably 
with residents of other sections of the city. 

There are some bad and wicked men in the East 
Side but this class generally clan together, in gangs or 
clubs, and become the tools of politicians and corrupt 
officials to do such work as they, the politicians dare 
not do. This class of gangsters may be wolves, but 
they dress in wolves' clothing; while those who employ 
them for dirty work dress in sheep's clothing. 

It may be that among these people there are many 
cases of petty thefts, because of necessity: "necessity 
knows no law." It is also true that there are many large 
thefts among other classes of residents who steal, not of 
necessity, but for greed. We are all creatures of cir- 
cumstance: we are all born but not burried, and it stands 
us in hand to be charitable toward each .other. 

I know enough of human nature, not to trust myself 
under circumstances of extreme want, without a ray of 
hope of betterment in the future. 

The object of touching upon this subject is to empha- 
size the fact that however bad any section of the city 
may be, the saloons make it tenfold worse and furnish 
club rooms where none but bad men congregate. 



204 THB IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



The investigations now being made show that ''white 
slavery" and graft are peculiar to those who wear 
sheep's clothing. 

We do not wish to reflect on any section, or on any 
person or any class of people in the city of New York, 
for we know that a very great majority of the people 
in all sections of the city are pure, upright and honest. 
What we have s^d is or ] y retle^ on upon human nature, 
for we are all creatures of circumstance and all subject 
to influences. 

Grace and soap are necessary to make a man clean; 
some require more soap than others, but all need grace. 

A great number of great and good men have gone 
wrong because of the rum-shop and the saloon. 

All men deplore the horrors of war becaue of the 
thousands of lives sacrificed. The United States uses its 
influence, and is generous in financial aid and straining 
its efforts of diplomacy to put an end to bloody war. 

Every christian and every lover of mankind is praying 
that peace may come and the horrors of war may cease. 

A soldier killed in flighting for his coumry has glory 
attached to his name and his friends are honored. 

Over one hundred and fiif ty-one thousand men die 
each year victims of the saloon established by govern- 
ment diplomacy. 

We should shame ourselves for our inconsistency. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 205 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



A Community. 



The power of the human mind to reason is limit- 
ed in its capacity. Some things, which regarded as a 
whole, are far beyond the reach of reason or compre- 
hension. If we think of the boundlessness of space, we 
find it beyond our power to comprehend; we can think 
of it only logically. If we think of it as being limitless, 
that is all we can do. If space is limited, what is be- 
yond it? It is easier to think of it as being limitless than 
as being limited, and this is the extent of our ability to 
reason on the subject. 

If we look upwards, we can, by the aid of the tele- 
scope, discover some facts not visible to the naked 
eye; or we may, by the aid of the microscope see some 
things not within our natural vision. 
We may by a chemical process analyze and discover the 
elements of a body of matter, and draw some con- 
clusions as to the nature of the substance, but in all 



206 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLIC 

of our observations by the telescope or the microscope 
or by chemistry we must confine our observations to a 
small specimen portion, and we safely conclude that 
what we find true of the sample portion of the body, is 
true of the whole body under consideration. 

If we study the texture and function of the skin, it is 
not necessary to take the whole covering of the body, 
but a small portion of it, and what we find true of it, is 
true of the whole. If we wish to analyze the character 
of a nation, it is not necessary to consider the whole 
nation, but we may take a single community, and what 
we find true of a community is true of a nation com- 
posed of like communities. 

We can very easily determine the effects of habits, 
thoughts and practices of the individual on the character 
of the community, and thus determine the effects on 
the nation, or aggregation of like communities. 

For our purpose, let us assume a community of one 
thousand persons, consisting of men, women and child- 
ren in the usual proportion, and let all be of the aver- 
age intelligence, and all of good moral character. 

Isolate this community so that it has no connection 
with any other community, and is not subject to any 
other authority; then let the people select certain per- 
sons in whom they have cofidence, and who, they think 
will look after the welfare of all, without partiality, to 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 206 



any. Let lawmakers be elected, and such executives and 
subordinates as may be necessary, whose duty shall be 
to make such laws and perform such other duties as 
the welfare of all may require, with equality and fair- 
to all. Now if some one of the community discovers a 
poisonous plant, and finds that a drink prepared from 
it, when taken into the system, produces intoxication, 
and some one of the community learns thai the effects 
of this drink upon the system were such that the drink- 
er would acquire an appetite that would increase day by 
day until the drinker would sacrifice everything to satisfy 
his appetite. Then suppose that some one should ask 
for and receive a permit from the chief executive or of 
the lawmakers, to sell this poisonous drink to members 
of the community, and by reason of that permit, a very 
large portion of the community would become drunkards 
and neglect their families, impoverish their children, and 
commit crimes, and fasten disease on the unborn child; 
and prove a curse to the community: Suppose all these 
evils should come upon this model community in the 
manner set forth; what would you say of the lawmak- 
ers? We wait for your answer. 



208 THE IRRPERESSIBLE CONFLICT 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Stumbling Blocks. 

There is a class of men who are upright in their con- 
duct and who deplore the evils of the saloon, and who 
only once in a while, say once in six months, on occa- 
sions of illness when the feel that a small glass of some- 
thing in the line of alcoholic drink would do them good, 
and for the sake of saving to themselves the privilege of 
two drinks a year as a medicine only, they are 
not opposed to the saloon; and they argue to themselves 
and to others that if all men would use the saloon as 
they do, there would be no harm in the saloon; and 
those who misuse the saloon are very weak or very fool- 
ish, and it is their own fault. This seems plausible and 
forcible, but it is not sound argument. If it be true 
that none but the weak and foolish get drunk, there 
are hundreds of thousands of habitual drunkards in the 
United States, and according to this argument there 
must be hundreds of thousands of weak and foolish men. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 209 



We know that the saloons could not exist on the pat- 
ronage of those who drink only two or three times a 
year, therefore the saloons must flourish on the patron- 
age of the weak and foolish. Is it a wise policy to es- 
tablish saloons to supply the wants of hundreds of thou- 
sands of weak and foolish, and make drunkards of 
them ? The weak and the foolish are not desirable 
citizens at best, but to make drunkards of them, adds 
tenfold to their misfortune, and to the state's shame. 

No, Mr. Smartman, there are ' many smart men who 
patronize the saloon and become foolish drunkards. 

One is foolish to form the habit, but the smart man 
who is so sure of his strength to stop drinking when he 
reaches the point where he thinks it necessary to stop, 
is not safe. While he is boasting of his smartness and 
ability to stop, the enemy that he has taken into his 
stomach is at work, forging habit's strong chain. 

The man who thinks he can drink alcohol or let it 
alone, will drink as long as he thinks so; and when he 
begins to feel that he cannot stop; he cannot. 

A really smart man ought to be wise enough to let 
poisonous drinks alone and not take it into his stomach, 
the only place where the enemy can get the advantage. 

The strongest minded man is just as apt to become a 
drunkard, as the weakest minded man if they both drink. 

There is a general mis.use of the word "will;" and we 



210 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



are inclined to think of it affirmatively, that is a determ- 
ination to do, but really a strong will is a strong determ- 
ination to do or not to do, if the determination is not to 
do, we might call it a WON'T. In a strong-willed 
man, the "will" and the "won't" have equal chances. A 
donkey is a strong willed animal, but it more frequen- 
tly won't than will. 

In usual warfare, it is the policy to keep the enemy 
out of the fortifications, but in the case of alcohol, the 
most deadly foe of man, men will take it into their 
stomachs, the most vulnerable part of the body. 

We give a truthful relation of circumstances to illustrate 
the chances of a strong-minded man. A few years ago, 
there lived in the central part of New York state, in a 
thriving city, a talented lawyer who had a large prac- 
tice. He was an upright, clean man with a strong 
mind, as strong as any man could have. Relying upon 
his ability to drink or let it alone, he allowed himself to 
form a habit of taking a drink occasionally when he 
thought it might be of advantage to him to gain the 
friendship of a man. He continued to drink occasion- 
ally, until he began to fear he wa s forming an appetite. 
He then pledged himself to himself not to touch an- 
other drop of anything intoxicating. He fought hard 
from day to day, sometimes in hope and sometimes in 
fear. He occupied rooms on the second floor of the 



211 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



building in which his office was located, and sometimes 
when about to leave his office for the night, he felt the 
inclination to drink, so strong that he dare not leave 
the building until he had overcome the desire. When 
he did leave the building on such occasions for his 
home, and having to pass a saloon, he made it a pract- 
ice when nearing the saloon, to run with all his might 
to pass the saloon before his resolution weakened. 

This he did many times, but there came a time when 
he dare not leave his office at the usual time and the de- 
sire to drink came upon him so strong, that he dare 
not risk passing the saloon; and he locked himself in his 
room and threw the door key out of the window rather 
than risk passing the saloon. After a late hour when 
he had not returned to his home, his friends came 
and took him safely past the saloon to his home. 

We are sorry that we must record the fact that after 
many heroic efforts to save himself, this strong man 
died a drunkard. 

That man was a strong man, but his enemy was 
stronger, and the man unwisely gave the enemy the ad- 
vantage by putting him into his stomach, and when 

once there the enemy worked quietly until the strong 

man was bound in habit's strong chain. 

The saloon was a trap set by the lawmaker, to catch, 
not only the weak and foolish, but the strong man. 



212 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Our friend's idea of the saloon being a good place to 
get a little medicine once in a while, is not good. 

The sick man who does not know what is the matter 
with him, goes to the saloonist who is not a physician, 
and asks for a medicine, of which neither knows any- 
thing except its name and the patient opens his mouth 
and swallows the medicine. 

A man with the idea that he can get medicine at a 
saloon, will often be sick, for the medicine he takes cre- 
ates a desire for more. 

We give one more illustration of the force of habit: 

Four years ago, a young man was arrested in a city 
not far from New York city, for some misedmeanor 
committed in New Jersey, while intoxicated. This 
young man asked for a lawyer to help him out of trou- 
hle. The policman called a competent lawyer who relat- 
ed the circumstances to me as follows: The young 
man told the lawyer that his father lived only a few 
miles away, he was able to help him out of trouble, and 
he wished the lawyer to telephone to his father for 
help, the lawyer called the father by telephone and 
informed him of his son's trouble, and asked what he, 
the lawyer, should do. The father told the lawyer to 
hold the telephone until he could consult with the moth- 
er. The lawyer could hear the conversation between the 
father and mother, and when they were done talking 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 213 



with each other, the father resumed the conversation 
with the lawyer. He told the lawyer that they could 
do nothing for the son; they did not want him released. 

He said his son was in difficulty time after time, and 
his conduct was becoming worse, day by day, and he 
was more frequently in trouble; they, his parents, had 
used their money, their influence and their love all to 
no good: they were really glad that their son was in 
jail; and the mother prayed that he might be kept there 
a long time for, if he was free, he might kill some one. 

It is bad when loving parents pray that their son 
may be kept in jail to save him from the State's rum- 
shops. 

The individual who says he drinks only two or three 
times a year should question himself, whether the pleas- 
ure justifies him for not helping in the temperance 
work. 

Thousands of men, including many lawmakers, stand 
by and see their fellow men perish, that may save to 
themselves, the privilege of drinking occasionally. 



214 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 

CHAPTER XXX. 

The Law. 

Unless laws have an element of certainty in them, they 
are laws of chance, variable in their application and 
enforcement according to the wishes of parties who are 
supposed to enforce them or accordiag to the "pull' 'the 
offender has. The strength of a chain, is the strength 
of its weakest link, and the strength of the law is meas- 
ured by its weakest points. Laws may be made in the 
strongest terms possible, and the punishment so severe 
as to terrify the evil doer, but if there is no certainty 
of punishment, evil doers will take chances and risk de- 
tection. The uncertainty is a weak link, and there is 
no strength to the chain. 

The excise laws as laid down in the ordinance of 
New Brunswick contain two terms that have a tendency 
to cause disrespect for the laws and the lawmakers be- 
cause of their partiality and injustice. 

The Ordinance say that no person holding a license, 
shall sell after one o'clock A. M. under a penalty of 
twenty-five dollars; and no person not having a license 
shall provide or furnish intoxicating liquors at any time, 
under a penalty of one hundred dollars. 

The logic of this law is that it is a less offense for a 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 215 



licensed man to sell at a time when he is forbidden to 
sell, than it is for an unlicensed man to sell at any time. 

The aloonist is a non-licensed man between the closing 
time and the opening time specified in the ordinance. 

The saloonist has the monoply of the business for 
twenty-one hours of the day and should be satisfied with 
that and in consideration of his privilege, it should be a 
greater offense for him to sell than for a man who has 
no privileges. 

The heavy fine on the non-licensed man is to protect 
the licensed man. Thousands of violations of the laws 
relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors occur weekly, 
in saloons that are licensed, and so little attention 
is given to the violations that the saloonist learns to 
regard the laws as being made for his protection, rath- 
er than for restriction; and all they have to do for their 
safety, is to keep watch on those who oppose the sa- 
loons, but it is not necessary to look out for those whose 
duty is to enforce the laws. An unenforced law is 
like a gun without ammunition. 

All intelligent people know that the laws to regulate 
the sale of intoxicating liquors are useless; and, assum- 
ing that the lawmakers are sincere, must conclude that 
they are not capable of making better laws; but assum- 
ing that they are capable, the people must conclude 
that they are not sincere. Let them explain. 



216 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



Nature's laws are positive and always active. If 
Nature's laws, acted differently at different times, they 
would not be laws, and the earth might be destroyed 
in a moment. Let the attraction of Cohesion cease to act 
for a moment, and the earth would crumble to dust; or 
let the attraction of gravity cease for a moment, and ob- 
jects on earth would as soon fall upward as downward. 

Millions of passengers are carried daily, safely from 
place to place, but the safety of passengers depends on 
positive rules and regulations. The rules of railroads 
relating to movement of trains, by means of signals, by 
telegraph, by telephone and electrical devices, adhered 
to secure perfect safety but if these regulations are lax- 
ly enforced the trains would run by chance, and there 
would be no safety no matter how perfect the rules are. 

A man regulating his life and conduct, must be 
positive in the rules he makes for his own guidance, for 
if he makes the enforcement of his rules subject to 
circumstances, he is but a creature of circumstance, 
and only lacks opportunity, to do wrong. If a man re- 
solves in his own mind to live a virtuous life, EXCEPT, 
the time will come when the exception will come. 

The penalty for violation of law should be according 
to circumstances. 

A saloonist will take the last cent from a drunken 
father, and the druakard's child, pressed by the gnawings 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 217 



of hunger, may steal a loaf of bread, and get put in jail, 
for it, but the saloonist has done no wrong. 

In such a case, the penalty for the child's offense 
should be pity and advice from the Judge; and a good 
dinner from the saloonist who took the last cent from 
the father, and gave poison in return, leaving the child 
to starve. An unlicensed man, in any other business, 
who would by any mean get a man in the same condi- 
tion that this man was in, and then take his iast cent, 
would be considered a heartless brute; but the saloonist 
is expected to do this, for he is appointed by the Court. 

In the case we have assumed, the worthlessness of the 
father shuts the family off from credit for bread and 
meat and they must beg or steal or starve. The laws 
of the State forbid stealing; and the laws of the State 
causes starvation by the saloon system. 

The starving child has no respect for the law that 
causes that hunger and, naturally has no respect for 
the law against theft. The saloon directly make paupers, 
and indirectly make thieves. The State makes saloons, 
directly, and indirectly causes crime of all kinds. 

The evil doer must suffer the consequences of his 
evil deeds. A man may plan and find tools to commit 
murder, and feel that he is perfectly safe from detection 
and punishment, but the very class of men that he has 
taught to do the work turn on him and cause his pun- 



218 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



ishment. 

The men who use foul means to advance their own in- 
terests, are in more danger from the men they make 
use of to gain their desires, than they are from any oth- 
er source. Tyrants may oppress their subjects unjustly, 
and in course of time these subjects become anarchists, 
and their first aim is to destroy those who they think 
have wrongfully oppressed them. When violence is re- 
sorted to, to redress wrongs, it is soon resorted to, to 
accquire what one desires. It is because of this principle 
of vengence, that makes it necessary for men occupying 
high official positions to be so carefully guarded and 
constantly surrounded by detectives. 

When a community advises or permits a saloon to be 
established, the community has committed a sin, unless it 
has made its best efforts to prevent it, and it will sure- 
ly be punished. 

The saloon is a school where young men cultivate evil 
thoughts, corrupt conscience and deprave the mind. 

To take a course in this school, one must forsake his 
manhood, and get rid of conscience, and responsibility. 

In his hard struggle to accomplish this he dims the 
image of his Maker, enfeebles his intellect, defiles the 
body and endangers his soul. This school is a part of 
the school system provided for the youth of the State. 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 219 

CHAPTER XXXL 

(i A Right to Do Wrong, is Not a Right." 

The Chief Justice of The Supreme Court of The 
United States; in giving a decision in a case involving 
the principle which applies to the right of license, 
said: "A right to do wrong is not a right." 

The word "right," according to Webster, has several 
applications, or meanings; the word being used with 
the article "a" denotes that it is used as a noun, and can 
have but one meaning, "Legal Authority;" the decision 
then, means that an enactment by lawmakers, which 
enactment authorizes wrong doing, is not a legal right 
in fact. Webster says that the abstract noun, means 
"Conformity to the will of God, or to His laws," and 
is the perfect standard of truth and justice. 

The Constitution provides for the preservation of the 
rights of individuals, and it also provides for the enact- 
ment of such laws as may be necessary to secure the 
rights of individuals. It also provides Judges to pass 
upon the constitutionality of legislative enactments, but 
it does not provide for the enactment of laws that su- 
percede the Constitution itself. 

The legislature has power to enact laws to incorpo- 
rate a number of individuals to act as an individual, 



220 THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 



but it cannot incorporate a body to act contrary to the 
Constitution, or to do wrong, It would seem that the 
legislature had fallen into the belief, that as it has the 
power to create corporate bodies, it can confer special 
privileges which do not exist by natural right, upon indi- 
viduals. The incorporation of several individuals to act as 
a single individual, for the good of the State, is very 
different from selling to an individual, the privilege of 
preying upon his fellow man, and it surely is not in 
"Conformity to the will of God, or to His laws." 
Unless there is a standard of right; there is no standard 
of wrong, for wrong is only divergence from right. It 
certainly is as important to preserve our standard of 
right, as it is to preserve our standard of Weights and 
Measures. If right is variable in its significance, wrong 
is also variable, and there is no standard by which 
man's conscience can be guided, and the less obligation 
to do right, the greater the liberty to do wrong. 

If the legislature has the right to enact laws permit- 
ting a little evil in one thing, it has the right to permit 
a little evil in every thing. The principle is the same 
as to the power to legislate. 

If the propositions in the foregoing are correct, and 
if the decision given by The Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of The United States, is correct; and 
if the license system is not in conformity with God's 



THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT 221 



will, then there is not a saloon in the United States 
that has a right to sell alcoholic drinks. 

THE END. 



